Cultura Nova Festival
Kronos Quartet (USA)
Responding to WarExpected end time: 21:30 hour
Theater Heerlen - Grote Zaal
| Normal rate: | € 37,50 |
| Normal rate: | € 32,50 |
| Normal rate: | € 26,00 |
| Normal rate: | € 23,00 |
| Normal rate: | € 16,50 |
Just once in the Netherlands: the Kronos Quartet in Heerlen
The world-famous Kronos Quartet from San Francisco (USA) has been in existence for over 50 years. During that time, they have redefined the significance of the classical string quartet. Their music is not only about tradition but also about the people and issues of our time.
With *Responding to War*, the four musicians support the work of composers who confront the atrocities and tragedies of war through music and protest. For instance, Neil Young’s response to the 1970 shooting at Kent State University took shape in the enduring protest song *Ohio*; cellist Paul Wiancko created a new version of it for Kronos. John Coltrane’s ‘Alabama’, arranged by Jacob Garchik, was written in response to the infamous 1963 bombing of a Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama. And the Canadian Inuit singer, composer and artist Tanya Tagaq writes about her work *Colonizer*: “There is guilt in passivity. Taking responsibility means taking action. Nothing will change until we demand change. The judge’s gavel must pass into other hands.”
Finally, in *Silent Cranes*, Mary Kouyoumdjian incorporated recordings set to music of testimonies from survivors of the Armenian genocide, Armenian folk songs and a poem by investigative journalist David Barsamian. The work invites the audience to listen, feel and connect around the question:“Why is it important, a hundred years later, to still be talking about the Armenian Genocide?”
KRONOS will perform just once in the Netherlands in 2026, in Heerlen. Furthermore, this unique concert has been specially curated for Cultura Nova and, in addition to live music, features video footage and audio clips.
Responding to War
Nicole Lizee – Black Midi
Niel Young - Ohio
John Coltrane – Alabama
Trevor Weston – Kumbaya
Dai Wei – Through the Paper Gate: Recipe for Forgetting/Fortune Cookie Factory
Tanya Tagaq – Coloniser
Yoko Ono – To Match the Sky
Stacy Garrop – ‘Sometime I Feel Like a Motherless Child’ from *Glorious Mahalia*
Mary Kouyoumdjian – Silent Cranes
