The Kronos Quartet was founded in 1974 by violinist
David Harrington. Later,
Hank Dutt (viola),
John Sherba (violin), and
Joan Jeanrenaud (cello) joined the group, forming its permanent core.
The ensemble soon made guest appearances on recordings by Warren Benson,
Dane Rudhyar, and
David Grisman before cutting their own debut on the Sounds Wonderful label in 1982. Since then, Kronos has recorded over thirty albums for Nonesuch, receiving six Grammy nominations and one award, for Best New Composition. Kronos specializes in works of the twentieth century, ranging from
Ornette Coleman and
John Zorn to
Jimi Hendrix and
Béla Bartók.