Latest news with #Kronos
San Francisco Chronicle
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Review: Kronos Festival opening night packs politics and world premieres
For more than five decades, San Francisco's Kronos Quartet has been an iconic fixture in contemporary music, expanding the string quartet repertoire and taking on contemporary challenges. Since its founding in 1978 by violinist David Harrington — who leads the ensemble as its only remaining original member — Kronos has focused on globally and socially resonant music, and the 10th annual Kronos Festival promises to continue this signature mission while simultaneously launching a new era. The festival's opening-night concert on Friday, April 25, at the SFJazz Center's Miner Auditorium began with an uplifting throwback — Terry Riley's 'Good Medicine,' an excerpt from the American minimalist composer's quartet-ballad 'Salome Dances for Peace,' which Kronos commissioned and premiered in 1986. ('Good Medicine' is the title and theme of this year's entire festival.) It all seemed so natural for Kronos that you might almost have forgotten the big news — that this concert marked the Bay Area debut of a fresh lineup. Violinist Gabriela Díaz and violist Ayane Kozasa joined the Quartet in mid-2024, succeeding longtime players John Sherba and Hank Dutt. And cellist Paul Wiancko only joined in 2023. Kronos, of course, embraces novelty with zeal. Friday's program featured four world premieres — a pair of commissioned pieces, along with two bespoke arrangements. Kronos' penchant for creative curation shone in the concert's opening half. Riley's curtain-raiser proved an entrancing romp, the music's dance-like motion blending minimalist loops, ritual drones and ecstatic violin riffs. This eclectic, folksy modernism is the ensemble's bread and butter, and the new lineup already projects a tone that is warm, fleshy, exactingly precise and seemingly effortless. That distinctive palette stitched together a dizzying spread of musical styles and traditions, including Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir's 'Folk Faer Andlit' (in a new arrangement by Kronos), the Trindidadian folk song 'A Shout' (in a new arrangement by Jacob Garchik) and South Korean musician Soo Yeon Lyuh's 'Sumbisori — Sound of Resilience' (in its world premiere). A particular standout was Peni Candra Rini's 'Hujan' (also arranged by Garchick). Here, uncanny, gliding washes of atonal polyphony moved to seductive violin serenades and groovy percussive jolts. At times, Candra Rini's evocation of Indonesia's mountains and seas echoed the rustic good humor of both Riley and 'A Shout.' The concert's second half addressed contemporary concerns most directly. The world premiere of Aleksandra Vrebalov's 'Cardinal Directions' marked the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War's conclusion. Vietnamese instrumentalist Vân-Ánh Võ joined the Quartet, playing the shimmering đàn tranh and a battery of percussion, while violist Kozasa at one point used her bow to play a set of drinking glasses, piercing the soundscape with a silvery sheen. Gabriella Smith's 'Keep Going' sought to carve out a space for joy in the face of climate change. Accompanying field recordings of environmental activists, the Quartet replaced their bows with acorns, sticks and rocks. Ethereal harmonics evoking birdsong and back-of-the-bow knocks yielded to propulsive, euphoric ensemble vamps — the kind of irrepressible optimism that suffuses Kronos' politics. The Quartet's prevailing aesthetic in confronting social and political issues has become one of exuberant excess. Kronos is celebrated for having commissioned more than 1,000 pieces, but the surfeit of musical styles and political issues means that any significant engagement is necessarily limited. For example, the five-minute 'Folk Faer Andlit' — translated as 'People Get Faces' and composed to recognize the individual humanity of refugees — was presented here divested of the context needed for the piece to hit home. 'Sumbisori,' which featured Lyuh on haegeum, explored a hauntingly aching musical palette, accompanied by breathtaking photography of South Korea's Jeju Island. But as the composer delivered spoken narration describing the island's culture of female sea-diving, the Quartet receded into monotonous minor chords. Telling this story came at the cost of musical interest and coherence. Audiences have the chance to dive deeper into the ideas inspiring two of the festival's featured composers in events on Saturday, April 26. The whirlwind mainstage concerts, however, perhaps offer more uplift than cure for our cultural ills. While we may require a stronger prescription, Kronos' 'Good Medicine' nonetheless promises the dose of hope — or at least joyful distraction — that many of us need most.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New SVP Joins SmartBear to Lead Growth Marketing Amid Expanding Software Dev and AI Demand
Kristine Hunt brings 20+ years of experience leading high-impact growth strategies to the SVP of Growth Marketing position SOMERVILLE, Mass., April 16, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SmartBear, a leading provider of software quality and visibility solutions, has named Kristine Hunt as SVP of Growth Marketing. Kristine brings over 20 years of experience in SaaS marketing, leading high-impact growth and marketing strategies at Immersive Labs, Everbridge, Kronos (now UKG), Dell, and most recently, NetWitness. "Known for fostering collaboration between marketing and sales, Kristine is passionate about driving alignment, performance, and long-term growth while building scalable, data-driven marketing engines that deliver results," said Dan Faulkner, CEO of SmartBear. "Kristine has consistently brought her strategic visions to life across multiple companies. Excited about her expertise, energy, and fresh perspective, we look forward to the pivotal role she will play in accelerating our growth and driving innovation across SmartBear." Most recently, Kristine generated $85M in marketing-sourced pipeline at NetWitness against a $60M goal. As VP of Revenue Marketing at Immersive Labs, she led a global team across all GTM functions, delivering four times pipeline coverage and exceeding pipeline goals by 26%, and maintaining a 12:1 ROI. At Kronos, she led demand generation programs across healthcare, retail, and hospitality, driving over $40M in pipeline with conversion rates of 15% to MQL and 65% to SQL, while managing a vertical-focused team. Her leadership spans global demand generation, ABM, digital, and revenue marketing with a proven track record of consistently exceeding pipeline targets. "I'm thrilled to join SmartBear at this exciting time of growth and innovation for the company and across the industry," said Kristine Hunt. "The opportunity to elevate SmartBear's global brand, connect more meaningfully with our customers, and accelerate impact across worldwide markets is incredible. I look forward to collaborating with this talented team to drive bold, data-driven marketing strategies." About SmartBear SmartBear is pioneering innovation in software quality, embracing AI's transformative potential. The company's powerful solution hubs, including SmartBear API Hub, SmartBear Insight Hub, and SmartBear Test Hub, featuring HaloAI, give software development teams around the world visibility and automation that provide end-to-end quality. SmartBear is trusted by over 16 million developers, testers, and software engineers at 32,000+ organizations – including innovators like Adobe, JetBlue, FedEx, and Microsoft. With an active peer-to-peer community, SmartBear meets customers where they are to help make our technology-driven world a better place. The company is committed to ethical corporate practices, including responsible AI that integrates accountability and transparency across its technology stack, and to social responsibility, promoting good in all the communities it serves. Learn more at or follow on LinkedIn, X, or Facebook. View source version on Contacts Tracy WemettBroadPR+1-617-868-5031tracy@
New York Times
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Review: A Kronos Quartet Glow Up: New Players, Newly Lustrous Sound
The Kronos Quartet was at Zankel Hall on Friday with a typically eclectic program that included new works drawing on jazz, psychedelic rock and Nordic folk music. The vibrant performance was not only the ensemble's return to a space it reliably fills with devoted fans; with the quartet's ranks refreshed by three brilliant new players, it also felt like a comeback. In recent years, the aging ensemble — founded in 1973 by David Harrington, who continues to lead it as first violin — sometimes seemed to have had slid into an identity crisis. The Kronos brand was still strong: Ambitious commissions kept pushing the boundaries of quartet music, resulting in more than 1,000 new works and arrangements drawing on every imaginable style. In the run-up to its golden jubilee, the ensemble initiated a commissioning project, 50 for the Future, and made the sheet music to all 50 pieces available free online. But the quality of the playing had become inconsistent. And the spoken introductions the players offered at concerts felt perfunctory and tired. When the violinists John Sherba and Hank Dutt, who had been in the lineup since 1978, retired last year, the quartet might have disbanded. Instead, Harrington brought in fresh talent and — judging by the music-making on Friday — strong personalities. The quartet's middle voices now belong to the violinist Gabriela Díaz and the violist Ayane Kozasa, who join the composer and cellist Paul Wiancko, who came onboard in 2022. During the kaleidoscopic first half of the concert the two women asserted themselves as the quartet's engines of emotional intensity and a newly lustrous, rich sound. This came through most powerfully in Aleksandra Vrebalov's incantatory 'Gold Came From Space,' which gradually grows in sonic density and expressive intent of tremulous whispers. Time and again, Kozasa's viola stole the spotlight with its absorbing mixture of lyricism and throaty candor. She channeled Nina Simone's tough-nosed tenderness in Jacob Garchik's arrangement of 'For All We Know' (composed by J. Fred Coots) and set the tone for Wiancko's arrangement of Neil Young's protest song 'Ohio.' Two songs by Sun Ra, 'Outer Spaceways Incorporated' (wittily arranged by Garchik) and 'Kiss Yo' Ass Goodbye,' in a psychedelic arrangement by Terry Riley and Sara Miyamoto, sparkled with experimental glee. That exploratory zest had always been a hallmark of Kronos. But the heart-on-sleeve directness the group brought to Viet Cuong's stirring 'Next Week's Trees,' in which the quartet sometimes sounds like a giant harp, felt new. The second half was taken up by a single work, 'Elja,' by Benedicte Maurseth and Kristine Tjogersen. Maurseth, who joined the Kronos players for the performance, is a master on the Norwegian hardanger fiddle, a violin-like instrument with four extra resonating strings and a curved neck and carved scroll that evokes the bow of an ancient ship. For the 45-minute piece, which also featured recorded nature sounds, the Kronos players switched to hardanger versions of their own instruments. (The viola and cello fiddles were specially built for Kronos by the Norwegian luthier Ottar Kasa.) Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Boston Globe
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Celebrity Series's Stave Sessions defies easy classification, again
Seven years later, satisfying the AI — or whatever's powering the streaming service of the day's algorithm — has Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up On Tuesday evening, the small audience entered to find the lights already dim, and Providence-based singer and composer (and Bent Knee cofounder) Courtney Swain's setup onstage blanketed with artificial roses. Swain stood behind a flower-strewn keyboard for most of her almost seamless one-hour set with collaborating guitarist Tim Doherty; with her hands so obscured and the layers of her supple, strong vocals wreathing the room, she often seemed to be coaxing music from the blooms. The apocalyptic but strangely consoling lyrics set against the gentle instrumental background made for a meditative, inward-looking experience. Only near the end of the set did she address the audience, hinting that this might be one of her last shows under the Courtney Swain name as she formalizes this new artistic project under a different moniker. Advertisement Singer, sound artist, and composer Courtney Swain at Somerville's Crystal Ballroom on Feb. 11, the first night of Celebrity Series of Boston's 2025 Stave Sessions. Robert Torres On Wednesday, That's a process in itself. So, unsurprisingly, the group's setlist mostly consisted of repertoire from its upcoming album, 'Rare Birds,' which releases March 15. There were two originals by Owls cellist and composer Paul Wiancko; a hearty arrangement of a piece by Norwegian/American folk duo Trollstilt; a fascinating and kaleidoscopic inverse-quartet arrangement of Couperin's harpsichord piece 'Les Barricades Mysterieuses.' The most memorable was Azerbaijani composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh's ecstatic 'Raqs,' written originally for Kronos Quartet — which, not so incidentally, has 50 percent overlap with Owls by way of Wiancko and violinist Ayane Kozasa, and newly installed Kronos second violinist Gabriela Diaz was in the audience. The adventuresome, try-anything spirit of Kronos is clearly in capable and joyous hands. If the number of professional musicians-about-town in the audience was any indication, Owls just might be a member of your favorite orchestra's favorite quartet. Cellist Seth Parker Woods is also a familiar face around Boston, having collaborated several times with local organizations such as Castle of Our Skins; Thursday, he presented his touring program 'Thus Spoke their Verse,' consisting of three sections he called 'hypersuites.' These used sarabandes from Bach's cello suites as launchpads into mostly contemporary repertoire, with mixed but mostly satisfying results. Particularly striking was the transition from the Sarabande from Suite No. 1 into the plucked Calvary Ostinato from Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson's 'Lamentations, 'Black/Folk Song Suite,'' which Woods anchored with a hauntingly calm repeated bassline while making the higher strings wail and twang like a banjo. Advertisement Also unforgettable was Fredrick Gifford's 'Difficult Grace,' for layered cello and voice. Reciting excerpts from Dudley Randall's 1968 poem 'Primitives,' Woods adopted a vintage storyteller's resonant tones, which morphed on a dime into a ghostly whisper, all while adding eerie wordless commentary from the cello. I wished he had provided the text of the poem in his program notes — the message was clearly powerful, but chopped up into collage for artistic effect as it was, it wasn't easy to process individual phrases. Woods's keen stage presence helped bridge that gap, however; several times throughout the evening, it seemed he was looking right at me, and I wonder how many others felt the same way. There's an experience no AI can replicate. STAVE SESSIONS Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston. At Crystal Ballroom, Somerville. A.Z. Madonna can be reached at
