Kronos Quartet with Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat: Placeless

Join Stanford Live and the Hamid and Christina Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies for a performance by Kronos Quartet, featuring Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat. 

Kronos Quartet
David Harrington, violin
Gabriela Díaz, violin
Ayane Kozasa, viola
Paul Wiancko, cello
with special guests, Mahsa Vahdat and Marjan Vahdat

For more than 50 years, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet has reimagined what the string quartet experience can be. One of the most celebrated and influential groups in contemporary music, Kronos has given thousands of concerts, released more than 70 recordings, and collaborated with many of the world’s most accomplished musicians across many genres—winning three Grammy Awards and the Polar Music Prize. On the second half of this concert, they reunite with singers Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat, following their collaboration on the 2019 album Placeless. The Vahdat sisters are internationally acclaimed Iranian musicians, now based in the Bay Area, whose deeply personal vocal style is rooted in Persian classical and regional traditions.

After nearly four decades of acclaimed performances at Stanford and around the world, the St. Lawrence String Quartet introduces the St. Lawrence Legacy Series. This new initiative, in partnership with Stanford Live, showcases three of today’s most celebrated string quartets—ranging from legendary ensembles to rising stars and fresh competition winners. Each group will spend a week on campus in a wide-ranging residency focused on mentorship, collaboration, and community engagement, culminating in a world-class performance at Bing Concert Hall.

Kronos Quartet

Since 1973, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet — David Harrington (violin), Gabriela Díaz (violin), Ayane Kozasa (viola), and Paul Wiancko (cello) — has challenged and reimagined what a string quartet can be. Founded at a time when the form was largely centered on long-established Western European traditions, Kronos has been at the forefront of revolutionizing the string quartet into a living art form. Today, with new voices and renewed vision, Kronos continues to forge the sound of the people and issues of our time.

Kronos stands among the most celebrated and influential ensembles. The group has performed thousands of concerts across six continents, released more than 70 boundary-pushing recordings, and collaborated with a remarkable range of composers and artists. Kronos has commissioned over 1,100 works and arrangements for string quartet — including the recently completed Fifty for the Future, a free online library of 50 new works from leading living composers that serves as a vivid expression of Kronos’ belief in open access and the continual reinvention of the string quartet repertoire.

Kronos' contributions have been recognized with more than 40 awards, including three Grammy Awards, the Polar Music Prize, the Avery Fisher Prize, and the Edison Klassiek Oeuvre Prize. In 2024, the Library of Congress acquired the Kronos Quartet/Kronos Performing Arts Association Archive, a comprehensive collection spanning five decades. That same year, their 1992 album Pieces of Africa was inducted into the National Recording Registry, recognizing its enduring cultural and historical significance.

Kronos’ adventurous approach traces back to its origins. David Harrington formed the group after hearing George Crumb’s Black Angels, a groundbreaking work inspired by the Vietnam War. That singular moment ignited a lifelong mission: to expand the language of the string quartet and confront the world’s complexities through music.

From the outset, Kronos built a bold and eclectic repertoire — performing works by 20th-century masters like Sofia Gubaidulina, Astor Piazzolla, Alfred Schnittke, and Henryk Górecki; contemporary voices such as Sahba Aminikia, Nicole Lizée, Vladimir Martynov, and Aleksandra Vrebalov; jazz legends including Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Maria Schneider, and Sun Ra; rock icons like Jimi Hendrix, Sigur Rós, Pete Townshend, and Café Tacuba; and genre-defying artists such as Laurie Anderson, Trevor Paglen, and Tanya Tagaq.

At the heart of Kronos’ identity is fearless collaboration. Among its most prolific partnerships is Terry Riley, whose works include Sunrise of the Planetary Dream Collector (1980), Salome Dances for Peace (1985–86), and Sun Rings (2002). In 2025, the ensemble traveled to Japan to celebrate Riley’s 90th birthday and perform with him — a testament to their enduring connection.

Another long-standing collaborator is Aleksandra Vrebalov, who has written more than 20 works for the ensemble, including Pannonia Boundless (1998) and Beyond Zero (2014). Kronos has also collaborated extensively with Philip Glass, Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, and Steve Reich, whose major string quartet works were written for and recorded by the ensemble.

Kronos’ most ambitious initiative, Fifty for the Future, commissioned 50 new works designed to train students and emerging professionals in 21st-century repertoire. All materials are available free online, reinforcing Kronos’ commitment to access, education, and the future of music.

Few ensembles have forged a more global or genre-defying path. Collaborators include Wu Man, Zakir Hussain, Alim Qasimov, Asha Bhosle, Mahsa Vahdat, Taraf de Haïdouks, and Trio Da Kali. Their work spans punk (Patti Smith), alternative rock (The National), industrial (Nine Inch Nails), and beyond. Kronos has also performed with Paul McCartney, David Bowie, and Allen Ginsberg, and even appeared on Sesame Street.

Their performances explore themes of war, environmental crisis, social justice, and spirituality, making their work both emotionally powerful and socially relevant.

The Kronos discography is extensive and acclaimed, with three Grammy Award-winning albums: Sun Rings (2019), Landfall (2018), and Lyric Suite (2003). Notable recordings include Nuevo (2002), Long Time Passing (2020), and Songs and Symphoniques: The Music of Moondog (2023).

Kronos tours globally, performing in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Barbican in London, Philharmonie de Paris, Sydney Opera House, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.

Their work extends into film, including A Thousand Thoughts(2018), as well as soundtracks for Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, and Dracula. Their music has appeared in Academy Award–nominated documentaries including Dirty Wars and How to Survive a Plague.

Kronos is deeply committed to education, leading workshops and residencies at institutions worldwide, including Carnegie Hall, UC Berkeley, and the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Based in San Francisco, Kronos continues to manage its expansive work through the Kronos Performing Arts Association, encompassing touring, recordings, education, and the annual Kronos Festival.

Mahsa Vahdat

Marjan Vahdat

Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat are internationally acclaimed Iranian singers, composers, and educators, and among the most influential voices in contemporary Persian music. As sisters and lifelong artistic partners, they have become iconic figures in the ongoing struggle of Iranian women for artistic freedom in the decades following the Islamic Revolution. For more than thirty years, they have carried their voices beyond borders, transforming restriction into resilience and silence into song.

Deeply rooted in the traditions of classical and regional Iranian music, the Vahdat sisters have developed a distinctive vocal language that honors tradition while courageously reimagining it. Their artistry weaves together classical forms, regional colors, poetic lyricism, and contemporary expression, creating music that is both intimate and expansive. Singing together, their voices form a deeply personal musical dialogue—shaped by sisterhood, shared memory, and a profound commitment to artistic freedom—where tenderness and defiance coexist.

In a homeland where women have been banned from solo singing since 1979, Mahsa and Marjan chose to let their voices travel. Their music, born of resilience, longing, and cultural memory, has touched audiences worldwide as a testament to the enduring power of art to preserve identity and imagine new futures. Today, based in California, they continue to expand their global presence through concerts, recordings, teaching, and cross-cultural collaborations.

Through long-standing collaborations with the Norwegian label Kirkelig Kulturverksted and producer-poet Erik Hillestad, as well as composer-arranger Atabak Elyasi, they have released numerous acclaimed and award-winning albums.

Over the years, the Vahdat sisters have collaborated with a wide range of distinguished artists and ensembles, including Kronos Quartet, Tord Gustavsen, Mighty Sam McClain, Bridget Kibbey, Amsterdam Sinfonietta, the SKRUK Choir, Zar Theatre, and the Grotowski Institute. Their work has been presented in leading concert halls and festivals around the world.

At the heart of Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat’s music lies a powerful choice: to sing freely, truthfully, and together—affirming the transformative power of sisterhood.