# Kronos Quartet at Robert M. Miner Auditorium, May 8, 2022

[SFJAZZ](https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/kronos-quartet-2122/) presents [Michael Abels](https://michaelabels.com/): _At War With Ourselves – 400 Years of You_ (CA premiere) featuring [Kronos Quartet](http://www.kronosquartet.org/) with a choir directed by [Valérie Sainte-Agathe](https://www.sfgirlschorus.org/valerie-sainte-agathe); text by poet [Nikky Finney](https://nikkyfinney.net/)  
[Robert M. Miner Auditorium](http://www.sfjazz.org/center)  
[SFJAZZ Center, 205 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=SFJAZZ+Center,+205+Franklin+St,+San+Francisco,+CA+94102+USA&hl=en)  
7:00 PM, Sunday, May 8, 2022

[[2022-05-06|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2022|Up to the 2022 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2022#May_events|Up to the 2022 event list!]] ☸ [[2022-05-12|On to the next event!]] 

## One Set

[7:00 PM] {lights down; no announcement; enter Kronos}

01. [7:01 PM] (instrumental overture)  
[7:08 PM] {add chorus, NF, VSA}
02. [7:09 PM] _At War With Ourselves_ (chorus)  
[7:13 PM] {applause}
03. [7:12 PM] _You are given 10 square feet_ (NF) »
04. [7:13 PM] _You are given 10 square feet_ (chorus)
05. [7:16 PM] _You are the new country's newest_ (NF)
06. [7:16 PM] _You are the new country's newest_ (chorus)
07. [7:18 PM] _The rest of you_ (NF)
08. [7:19 PM] _The rest of you_ (chorus)
09. [7:22 PM] _In a flash of slave schooner moonlight_ (NF) »
10. [7:23 PM] _In a flash of slave schooner moonlight_ (chorus)
11. [7:25 PM] _Alongside despite these contributions_ (NF)
12. [7:26 PM] _They will dismiss your love_ (chorus)
13. [7:30 PM] _Yes, your heart beats_ (NF) »
14. [7:31 PM] _Yes, your heart beats_ (chorus) »  
[7:35 PM] {applause; add SF Girls chorus nonet}
15. [7:35 PM] _Before the eyes of their children_ (chorus)  
[7:42 PM] {applause; drop SF Girls chorus nonet}
16. [7:42 PM] _Skin is the largest organ_ (NF)
17. [7:43 PM] _The skin the skin the skin_ (chorus)
18. [7:49 PM] _You have re-attached the legs_ (NF)
19. [7:50 PM] _You have re-attached the legs_ (NF)
20. [7:56 PM] _Your indefatigable zest & quiet_ (NF)
21. [7:56 PM] _Your indefatigable zest has a heart beat_ (chorus)
22. [8:00 PM] _With the laws and codes_ (NF)
23. [8:01 PM] _With the laws and codes_ (chorus)
24. [8:04 PM] _Refusing to halt their haunting laughter_ (NF)
25. [8:05 PM] _Refusing to halt their haunting laughter_ (chorus)
26. [8:10 PM] _Now is the great 400th anniversary_ (NF) »
27. [8:11 PM] _Now is the great 400th anniversary_ (chorus)  
[8:19 PM] {applause; bows; off & back for more bows}  
[8:21 PM] {no encore tonight; all done}

## Performers

### Kronos Quartet

[Kronos Quartet](http://www.kronosquartet.org/)

* Hank Dutt: viola;
* David Harrington: violin;
* John Sherba: violin;
* Sunny Jungin Yang: cello.

### Friends

* [Michael Abels](https://michaelabels.com/): composer;
* [Nikky Finney](https://nikkyfinney.net/): poet, reader;
* [Valérie Sainte-Agathe](https://www.sfgirlschorus.org/valerie-sainte-agathe): conductor.

### At War With Ourselves Chorus

* Joseph Bates: tenor vox;
* Kristina Blehm: alto vox;
* Joel Chapman: bass vox;
* Yuhi Aizawa Combatti: soprano vox;
* Rabihah Davis Dunn: soprano vox;
* Johnnie J. Felder: tenor vox;
* Glenn Healy: bass vox;
* Katja Heuzeroth: alto vox;
* Avi Jacobson: bass vox;
* Malcolm X Jones: bass vox;
* Ginger Jones-Robinson: soprano vox;
* Thomas Kim: tenor vox;
* Bradley Kynard: bass vox;
* Christabel Nunoo: soprano vox;
* Edward Nunoo: bass vox;
* Ryan S. Peterson: tenor vox;
* Sidney Ragland: tenor vox;
* Khris Sanchez: tenor vox;
* Colby Smith: soprano vox;
* Nia Spaulding: alto vox;
* Susan Thampi: alto vox;
* Alexis Walker: alto vox;
* Heidi L. Waterman: alto vox;
* Daniel Yoder: bass vox.

### Members of the San Francisco Girls Chorus Premier Ensemble

* Ava Gaughan: soprano vox;
* Adela Kelemen: soprano vox;
* Charlotte Kelly: alto vox;
* Sarah Kelly: alto vox;
* Victoria Ko: soprano vox;
* Angelyn Liu: soprano vox;
* Sarah Liu: soprano vox;
* Azaria Stauffer-Barney: alto vox;
* Isabel Yang: soprano vox.

## Notes

{{:2022:2022-05:20220508pn.pdf|program notes}}

It's interesting that tonight's show lacked any sort of speaking beside Nikky Finney's dramatic reading of her poem and the choral rendition that followed each bit. No greeting. No goodnight. No thanks to the sponsors. Wordless!

It's also interesting that unlike most every other Kronos show I've seen, this one had no visual/multimedia component. No fancy or dramatic stage lighting. No videos. Nothing!

What it did have was plenty of tuneful music. Around fifteen parts by the count above, but I probably missed a couple as there were a few times where segments seemed to segue together: the notes above correspond to the obvious transitions or breaks in the performance. In other words: take my list as an advisory impression rather than gospel truth!

NPR posted a brief podcast about this work at [Deceptive Cadence](https://www.npr.org/transcripts/1051432894) just prior to the world premiere last November. Past Kronos program notes have been exceptionally clear about premieres and sponsors and such, but tonight's handout doesn't seem to make any note about this weekend being the CA premiere for this work...strange!

{{tag>music Kronos_Quartet Valérie_Sainte-Agathe Michael_Abels Nikky_Finney Miner_Auditorium Hank_Dutt David_Harrington John_Sherba Sunny_Jungin_Yang Joseph_Bates Kristina_Blehm Joel_Chapman Yuhi_Aizawa_Combatti Rabihah_Davis_Dunn Johnnie_J_Felder Glenn_Healy Katja_Heuzeroth Avi_Jacobson Malcolm_X_Jones Ginger_Jones-Robinson Thomas_Kim Bradley_Kynard Christabel_Nunoo Edward_Nunoo Ryan_S_Peterson Sidney_Ragland Khris_Sanchez Colby_Smith Nia_Spaulding Susan_Thampi Alexis_Walker Heidi_L_Waterman Daniel_Yoder Ava_Gaughan Adela_Kelemen Charlotte_Kelly Sarah_Kelly Victoria_Ko Angelyn_Liu Sarah_Liu Azaria_Stauffer-Barney Isabel_Yang}} 

[[2022-05-06|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2022|Up to the 2022 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2022#May_events|Up to the 2022 event list!]] ☸ [[2022-05-12|On to the next event!]]