Kronos is thrilled to be returning to The Royal Conservatory’s 21C Music Festival for three nights this January!

 

On January 18, Kronos and Sam Green present A Thousand Thoughts, the live documentary that blends live music by Kronos and narration by Green, as well as archival footage and filmed interviews with artists like Philip Glass, Tanya Tagaq, Steve Reich, Wu Man, and Terry Riley. “It’s as magical an amalgamation as you can imagine.” (Los Angeles Times).

 

In a residency centered around Kronos’ Fifty for the Future, student quartets from The Glenn Gould School will participate in a two-day mentorship with Kronos, culminating in a joint performance on January 20 that will feature the world premiere of a new work by Paul Wiancko. (The 21C Music Festival at The Royal Conservatory of Music is a commissioning partner with Kronos’ Fifty for the Future.)

 

For the final performance on January 21, Kronos presents Music for Change, a program that explores the ways in which music can increase our understanding of our times and our connection to people around the world. “Everything we do as citizens, as human beings, is a statement about how we want the world to be,” says David Harrington, Kronos’ artistic director, founder, and violinist. “Increasingly, I feel my role as musician is to point in constructive musical and cultural directions as we attempt to help repair the torn fabric of our society.” This Music for Change concert features new works composed by and performed with special guests Tanya Tagaq (vocals) and Aruna Narayan (sarangi), and also highlights the social, political, and cultural upheavals of civil rights movements through works such as Peace Be Till, Zachary J. Watkins’s exploration of the moment just before Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, and Glorious Mahalia, Stacy Garrop’s work honoring the life and times of gospel singer Mahalia Jackson.