Calder Quartet Competitors

Davidson College seeks intellectually curious students who are committed to developing their talents for lives of leadership and service. Small classes enable our renowned faculty to work closely with students, engaging them directly in original research and creative work across the arts, sciences, social sciences and humanities. In the classroom and beyond, Davidson cultivates students' compassion, creativity, resilience and moral courage. We nurture these values in a community founded on trust as articulated by the Honor Code and on free, unfettered inquiry. The Davidson Trust supports our campus-wide commitments to access and equal opportunity. Nearly 25 percent of our students compete in Division I athletics, and 80 percent of our students study or work internationally during their Davidson careers. These rich and distinguished offerings enable Davidson graduates to thrive in a global society and exert disproportionate impact for good.

Professional String Quartet based in Austin, TX

For over 50 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet — David Harrington (violin), Gabriela Díaz (violin), Ayane Kozasa (viola), and Paul Wiancko (cello) — has pursued a singular artistic vision, combining a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to continually reimagine the string quartet experience. In the process, Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential groups of our time, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 70 recordings of extraordinary breadth and creativity, collaborating with many of the world’s most accomplished composers and performers, and commissioning more than 1,000 works and arrangements for string quartet. The cornerstone of Kronos’ mission is the unique, live performance voice of the string quartet — the coming together in conversation of distinct but integrated voices. It is from this artistic foundation that Kronos explores, extends, and enhances the musical experience for artists, audiences, and global communities. Kronos achieves its mission as a not-for-profit organization through a wide variety of programmatic initiatives including commissioning, performing, presenting, recording, publishing, archiving, teaching, mentoring, and encouraging the next generations of artists and audiences.