Nicole Lizée - ZonelyHearts (Kronos Quartet)

Information

Composer: Nicole Lizée

1. Death to Kosmische
2. The Golden Age of the Radiophonic Workshop [Fibre-Optic Flowers]
3. Black MIDI
4. ZonelyHearts

Kronos Quartet

    David Harrington, violin

    Gabriela Díaz, violin

    Ayane Kozasa, viola

    Paul Wiancko, cello

Date: 2026

Label: Centrediscs

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Kronos Quartet and composer Nicole Lizée celebrate their 16-year artistic collaboration with the release of ZonelyHearts, their first collective compilation of her works. It highlights Lizée’s highly imaginative, eccentric, and complex compositions, which challenge performers by introducing unprecedented musical roles and vibrant sonic textures. The Quartet emphasizes that rehearsing and performing Lizée’s music fosters a uniquely energized, transformative, and educational atmosphere. Ultimately, the compilation serves as an intimate window into the ensemble's internal creative synergy, while affirming their commitment to exploring future avant-garde musical landscapes through this profound and enduring creative partnership.

Award-winning composer and video artist Nicole Lizée (b. 1973) is widely acclaimed for her inventive compositions that merge concert music with eclectic pop-culture influences, including rave culture, early video games, and cinema. Fascinated by the aesthetics of obsolescence, Lizée masterfully integrates notated technological malfunctions and glitches into live performances featuring unorthodox instruments like the Atari 2600 and turntables. A McGill Master of Music graduate, her distinguished portfolio includes over 60 commissions for premier ensembles like the Kronos Quartet and the New York Philharmonic. Her highly decorated career features a 2024 JUNO Award and mentorship under Howard Shore, cementing her global reputation across prestigious international venues.

Since 1973, San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet has revolutionized the string quartet into a living art form, challenging traditional Western European classical conventions. Celebrated globally, the multi-Grammy-winning ensemble has performed thousands of concerts across six continents, released over 70 pioneering recordings, and commissioned more than 1,100 works. Notable achievements include Fifty for the Future, a massive, free online educational repertoire library, and the permanent acquisition of their vast five-decade archive by the Library of Congress in 2024. Renowned for genre-defying collaborations spanning rock, jazz, and world music, Kronos continuously centers its work on critical contemporary global themes, including war, social justice, and the climate crisis.