Kronos Quartet's Tiny Desk Concert features an eclectic program

We rarely invite the same band back to the Tiny Desk. But the beloved Kronos Quartet, which first played our offices 12 years ago, isn't the same band. Three of the four members are brand new: Cellist Paul Wianko succeeded Suny Yang; violinist Gabriela Diaz and violist Ayane Kozasa replaced retiring original members John Sherba and Hank Dutt.

The newly rejuvenated quartet, still under the durable leadership of violinist and founder David Harrington, appears to be having more fun than ever. And it shows in these vigorous performances of pieces that are whimsical and socially conscious.

Neil Young wrote "Ohio" in the wake of the Kent State shootings in 1970, and Wianko's new arrangement, with its jolts of defiance, reverberates disturbingly today. A similar urgency pervades Billie Holiday's staple "Strange Fruit," which Harrington views as "the centerpiece of American music." The quartet arrangement struts a melodramatic introduction that gracefully slips into the song's languid despondency.

With over 1200 commissions of new pieces and arrangements, Kronos hasn't lost its indefatigable drive to champion new music, including that of Canadian composer and video artist Nicole Lizée. Another Living Soul asks Kronos for more than strings. The effects of whirly tubes, groan tubes, bells and vocalizing, lend a playful feel. The composer describes the piece as "stop animation for string quartet."

Kronos closes with commissioned music from Indonesian composer Peni Candra Rini, who includes the sounds of nature in "Hujan" (Rain), a piece which, despite its relaxed groove, laments climate change.

For over 50 years, Kronos has re-taught us how to listen to music, opening our ears to sounds from across the world, continually posing the question: What should a string quartet be in the 21st century?

SET LIST

• Neil Young (arr. Wiancko): "Ohio"

• Nicole Lizée: Another Living Soul

• Abel Meeropol (arr. Garchik): "Strange Fruit"

• Peni Candra Rini (arr. Garchik): "Hujan" (from Segara Gunung)

MUSICIANS

• David Harrington: violin

• Gabriela Diaz: violin

• Ayane Kozasa: viola

• Paul Wiancko: cello

TINY DESK TEAM

• Producer: Tom Huizenga

• Director/Editor: Maia Stern

• Audio Engineer/Mix: Neil Tevault

• Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter

• Videographers: Maia Stern, Joshua Bryant, Kara Frame

• Audio Engineer: Josephine Nyounai

• Production Assistants: Dhanika Pineda, Alina Edwards

• Photographer: Bronson Arcuri

• Tiny Desk Team: Ashley Pointer, Josh Newell

• Series Editor: Lars Gotrich

• Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed

• Executive Director: Sonali Mehta

• Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson, Robin Hilton

Copyright 2026, NPR