Kronos Quartet
Nonesuch Records recently announced that the Kronos Quartet has been named the recipient of two internationally renowned awards: in the United States, the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize, awarded for outstanding achievement and excellence in music, and in Sweden, the Polar Music Prize, an international music prize awarded to individuals, groups, or institutions in recognition of exceptional achievements. No other musician or ensemble has ever won both prizes, let alone in a single year.
The Kronos Quartet consists of David Harrington on violins, John Sherba on violins, Hank Dutt on viol) and Jeffrey Zeigler on cello. They have been performing together for over thirty years and have recorded over 45 albums. 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.
Kronos Quartet will be honored as the 2011 Avery Fisher Prize recipient on Wednesday, June 8, at an invitational ceremony to be held at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. As the recipient of this coveted honor, Kronos receives a monetary award of $75,000. On a marble plaque in Avery Fisher Hall, Kronos Quartet’s name will join the 20 previous Prize recipients, among them Richard Goode, Nadja Salerno-Sonneberg, Edgar Meyer, Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Yefim Bronfman, and Yo-Yo Ma. The prestigious Avery Fisher Prize is awarded to individual musicians or chamber ensembles who are US citizens or permanent US residents for outstanding achievement and excellence in music. For more information, visit averyfisherartistprogram.org.
The Polar Music Prize laureates were announced on Tuesday, May 3, 2011 in Sweden at the Stockholm City Hall. The 2011 Polar Prize ceremony will take place on Tuesday, August 30, at the Stockholm Concert Hall, where King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden will hand out the awards, which carry a monetary value equivalent to approximately $155,000 ($1 million Swedish Kronor). Receiving the 2011 Polar Music Prize along with Kronos Quartet is singer/songwriter/poet Patti Smith. The Polar Music Prize was founded in 1989 by the late Stig Anderson, publisher, lyricist and manager of the legendary pop group ABBA. Previous Laureates include Björk, Steve Reich, Joni Mitchell, Pierre Boulez, Bob Dylan, Renée Fleming, Valery Gergiev, B. B. King, György Ligeti, Miriam Makeba, Sonny Rollins, Ravi Shankar, Isaac Stern, and a host of others representing a wide range of countries, cultures, and continents. For more information, visit polarmusicprize.org.
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