Part of HANCHER’S 2026–2027 SEASON and FIFTY FOR THE FUTURE
Presented by HANCHER AUDITORIUM
Over five decades, Kronos Quartet has commissioned more than a thousand works, premiered them on stages—including Hancher stages—across six continents, and reshaped contemporary music's sense of what four string players can do. Fifty for the Future is a powerful and provocative expression of that work.
Aleksandra Vrebalov sends the musicians on a journey toward unison. Jlin embraces freedom of sound; Raven Chacon tells a creation story from the future; Nicole Lizée imagines stop-motion animation; Terry Riley captures a Chinatown conversation; Charlton Singleton draws on Gullah handclaps and AME Prayer Band traditions; and Yevgeniy Sharlat evokes pencil on paper. Kronos cellist and Hancher composer-in-residence Paul Wiancko invites us to break down notions of us-versus-them. The program closes with a Hancher co-commissioned world premiere by Peter Shin in memory of the late Wally Chappell, former Hancher executive director and longtime Kronos board member.
David Harrington, violin
Gabriela Díaz, violin
Ayane Kozasa, viola
Paul Wiancko, cello
PROGRAM
Aleksandra VREBALOV: My Desert, My Rose
Jlin PATTON: Little Black Book
Raven CHACON: The Journey of Horizontal People
Nicole LIZÉE: Another Living Soul
Terry RILEY: Lunch in Chinatown
Charlton SINGLETON: Testimony
Yevgeniy SHARLAT: Pencil Sketch
Paul WIANCKO: Only Ever Us
Peter SHIN: Title TBD (In Memory of Wally Chappell)
"Since 1973, the San Francisco-based ensemble has been energetically committed to changing the course of quartet music…testing the boundaries of what is possible within the structure of a standard quartet ensemble.” – Strings Magazine
TICKETS
Adults $25
Students & Youth $10
Purchase your tickets through Hancher Box Office online or call 319-335-1160.
HANCHER EVENT PARTNERS
Bruce Gantz
David McCartney & James Petersen
John R. Menninger
Hazel H. Seaba
Joyce & Dick Summerwill Ventures Fund
Stephen & Victoria West
George & Carrol Woodworth
Photo collage includes photo by Ali Karakas for TUCCA