OnStage News

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Kronos Quartet project awarded $10K grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

(February 7, 2008) Sangamon Auditorium at the University of Illinois at Springfield is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in support of the Kronos Quartet – Sun Rings performance, and corresponding activities, taking place on Tuesday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m.

Supportive grants like these from various national and state arts agencies, like the National Endowment for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council, offer crucial financial support to performing arts centers and facilities like Sangamon Auditorium; whose mission it is to present spectacular and engaging works by groups like the Kronos Quartet.

For more than 30 years, the Kronos Quartet—David Harrington and John Sherba (violins), Hank Dutt (viola) and Jeffrey Zeigler (cello)—has pursued a singular artistic vision, combining a spirit of fearless exploration with a commitment to expanding the range and context of the string quartet. In the process, Kronos has become one of the most celebrated and influential ensembles of our time, performing thousands of concerts worldwide, releasing more than 40 recordings of extraordinary breadth and creativity, collaborating with many of the world’s most eclectic composers and performers, and commissioning hundreds of works and arrangements for string quartet.  Kronos’ work has also garnered numerous awards, including a Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance (2004) and “Musicians of the Year” (2003) from Musical America.

Sun Rings, a piece commissioned by NASA and others, is a multimedia production featuring 10 chamber music movements, a 60 piece choir (the Springfield Choral Society), and sounds recorded from space back-dropped by awe inspiring images (captured by the Hubble and Voyager telescopes) projected onto a 24’ x 40’ screen.

Additional activities surrounding this performance include a public radio program titled, What is David Listening To?, that will be recorded and broadcast on WUIS-FM public radio.  The program will feature Kronos Quartet Artistic Director David Harrington and music currently under consideration by Mr. Harrington, along with his commentary. Sangamon Auditorium will also host a pre-show panel discussion with Professor Charles Schweighauser and Dr. John Martin; UIS Astronomy/Physics, David Harrington, Artistic Director of Kronos Quartet; Marion van der Loo, Artistic Director of the Springfield Choral Society; moderated by Robert Vaughn, Director of the UIS Sangamon Auditorium.

Kronos Quartet – Sun Rings is presented in cooperation with 91.9 - WUIS Public Radio and the UIS Department of Astronomy – Physics.

The National Endowment for the Arts is a public agency dedicated to supporting excellence in the arts, both new and established; bringing the arts to all Americans; and providing leadership in arts education. Established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government, the Endowment is the nation's largest annual funder of the arts, bringing great art to all 50 states, including rural areas, inner cities, and military bases.

Click to learn more about the Kronos Quartet - Sun Rings performance or to purchase tickets online.