Upcoming Events

Kronos Quartet
Testimony

Free Online Event
Streaming April 14 – 21, 2021

The Center for the Performing Arts has presented Kronos Quartet four times, most recently in 2020 at Eisenhower Auditorium. In this recorded presentation, the lauded quartet performs Testimony, a musical reflection on this moment in our nation’s history.

The filmed performance features a Jimi Hendrix-inspired performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” Rhiannon Giddens’ “At the Purchaser’s Option,” “The President Sang Amazing Grace,” and other selections. The music is paired with poignant spoken word poetry by young San Francisco Bay area poets. Meklit, a California singer-songwriter, provides vocals.

Music program:

John Stafford Smith, arr. Prutsman: “Star Spangled Banner”
Rhiannon Giddens, arr. Garchik: “At the Purchaser’s Option” (with variations)
Abel Meeropol: “Strange Fruit” (inspired by Billie Holiday)
John Coltrane: “Alabama”
Charlton Singleton: “Testimony”
Irving Berlin, arr. Gordon: “God Bless America”
Zoe Mulford, arr. Garchik: “The President Sang Amazing Grace,” featuring Meklit

Original spoken word poetry:

Darnell “DeeSoul” Carson: “Hood Proverbs”
Zouhair Mussa: “Problem Child”
Cecilia “CeCe” Jordan: “Untitled”
Anouk Yeh: “back porch: a response to andrew yang’s op-ed on the pandemic”

Testimony was filmed October 2, 2020 at Bing Concert Hall, The Leland Stanford Junior University (Stanford University):
Directed, Photographed and Edited by Frazer Bradshaw
Recording Engineer: Zach Miley
Executive Producers: Elena Park and Chris Lorway
Producer: Kimberly Pross