Doric String Quartet Competitors

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.

The Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet has rapidly distinguished itself as one of the preeminent ensembles of its generation.

Non-traditional in their delivery, QSF redefines the sound of chamber music. "When the music says swing, we swing. When the music says groove, we groove." Grammy nominees for their last three CD releases (2009, 2007, and 2006) and International Tango competition winners (New York, 2004), Quartet San Francisco expresses itself in its agility and standout virtuosic playing. Quartet San Francisco was founded in 2001 by celebrated Bay Area violinist and composer-arranger Jeremy Cohen. Violinist Matthew Szemela began his collaboration with QSF in 2012 and violist Keith Lawrence has been a member since 2008. Cellist Kelley Maulbetsch joined the group as its interim cellist in March 2012. As crossover specialists QSF excels in multiple styles - from jazz to tango, pop to funk, blues to bluegrass, gypsy swing to big band and beyond. Since its concert debut in 2001, Quartet San Francisco has offered its exclusive and ground-breaking literature to local, national and international audiences in a variety of venues that include tango and concert halls, jazz festivals, museums, and classrooms. In 2002 the quartet began its on-stage collaborations with tango dancers. In the 2004-06 academic years the quartet was in residence at Mills College in Oakland, California. Quartet San Francisco's tours in 2010 through 2012 included China, Korea, Japan, and Turkey where they performed in Beijing (and nine other major cities in China), Seoul, Tokyo, Hyogo, Sanda, and Istanbul. Recent U.S. appearances include New York's Le Poisson Rouge, Yoshi's Jazz Clubs in San Francisco and Oakland, the Brubeck Room in the Wilton, Connecticut Library, in concert with the Marin Symphony and Bob Weir of The Grateful Dead in San Rafael, Calif., with the Tulsa Symphony, as well as with the San Jose Chamber Orchestra. They have appeared at the Corning Museum of Glass (Corning, NY); Troy Music Hall (Troy, NY); Herbst Theatre (San Francisco); Café Tortoni (Buenos Aires, Argentina); Portland Friends of Chamber Music (Portland, OR); La Jolla Music Society ...