Wu Man & Kronos Quartet to Perform THREE BONES at Zankel Hall

Pipa virtuoso Wu Man will reunite with the Kronos Quartet for "Three Bones," a groundbreaking performance at Zankel Hall that marks her 20th year performing with the ensemble on Carnegie Hall's stages, Saturday, April 25, at 7:30 pm. 

“Three Bones,” a semi-staged, multisensory triptych that explores the histories of Indigenous, Gullah-Geechee, and Chinese American communities. The first panel features the artistry of electric Apache violinist, vocalist, and composer Laura Ortman, and the second highlights connections between West African and American cultures nearly lost to history, with percussionist Quentin E. Baxter. The third and final panel places longtime Kronos collaborator Wu Man at the forefront, performing new music by Dai Wei and tracing the personal histories of Chinese Americans who expanded civil and immigrant rights in San Francisco. The performance is part of Carnegie Hall's "United in Sound: America at 250," a festival exploring the diverse voices and influences that have shaped—and continue to shape—American identity. 

“My collaboration with Kronos Quartet spans more than three decades—beginning in 1992 and continuing through today. Over these years, we've explored new artistic territories together, bridging traditions and technologies to create music that has shaped my career and deepened my understanding of cross-cultural collaboration. I am excited to return to the Carnegie stage on April 25—the same month we first premiered at Carnegie Hall 20 years ago—to share an evening of music that explores and reimagines what is possible for the pipa, for string quartet, and for music as a shared language across cultures,” states Wu Man.

Wu Man and the Kronos Quartet performed together for the first time at Carnegie Hall in April 2006, presenting a program that included world-premiere arrangements of Early Chinese Music, the New York premiere of Terry Riley's The Cusp of Magic, and Tan Dun's Ghost Opera, a piece of music that they toured worldwide for three years and became a landmark staple in their collaborative relationship.

The artists have performed a variety of programs drawing from a wide range of composers and traditions on Carnegie Hall stages. These have included works by Rahul Dev Burman sung by legendary Bollywood performer Asha Bhosle (April 2006), Terry Riley's In C (April 2009), the world premiere of Wu Man's A Chinese Home and Dun's Ghost Opera (November 2009), and the New York premiere of Philip Glass' Orion: China, arranged by Michael Riesman (March 2014). Most recently, in November 2023, they performed works by Wu Man, Moondog's Choo Choo Lullaby, arranged by Brian Carpenter, and Rahul Dev Burman's Mehbooba, Mehbooba (Beloved, O Beloved), arranged by the Kronos Quartet and Stephen Prutsman.

The evening prior to the performance, Friday, April 24, at 6 pm, in the Resnick Education Wing, the Kronos Quartet will also host a panel discussion on their collaborative process, featuring music excerpts performed by Wu Man, Quentin E. Baxter, and Laura Ortman, along with Douglas Peach and John Fenn from the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.