David Harrington: Telling stories with violin in hand

As the founder, artistic director, and first violinist of Kronos Quartet, David Harrington has played a central role in developing a musical repertoire for the 21st century and beyond. He has worked with hundreds of composers across the globe and played thousands of concerts worldwide, from Carnegie Hall to Shanghai to Sydney. Now in its 47th year, Kronos has become perhaps the most important force in new music today, exploding the boundaries of the quartet repertoire as it commissions over 1,000 compositions and arrangements. With over 60 recordings and two Grammy Awards to its credit, Kronos is both well established and iconoclastic. Through its 50 for the Future project, Kronos is also bypassing conventional publishing and artistic systems to make the music of new and well-known composers alike available to everyone.