At the end of June 2024 following Kronos Quartet’s historic 50th-anniversary season, longtime members John Sherba (violin) and Hank Dutt (viola) will retire from the ensemble. Dutt joined Kronos in 1977; he and founder David Harrington (violin) recruited Sherba to join the group in 1978. In the ensuing 46 years, Dutt and Sherba have each left an unmistakable imprint on Kronos’ distinctive sound.

Kronos will enter its sixth decade with two new members: violinist Gabriela Díaz and violist Ayane Kozasa will join Harrington and Wiancko.
A fierce champion of contemporary music, Gabriela Díaz has worked closely with many significant composers on their own compositions, including Pierre Boulez, Jessie Montgomery, Alvin Lucier, Unsuk Chin, John Zorn, Joan Tower, Roger Reynolds, Chaya Czernowin, Steve Reich, Tania León, Brian Ferneyhough, and Helmut Lachenmann. A native of Georgia, she is the concertmaster of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), and a member of the International Contemporary Ensemble and A Far Cry. Critics have acclaimed her as “a young violin master,” and “one of Boston’s most valuable players.” She teaches at Wellesley College and the Longy School of Music at Bard College, and is the co-artistic director of the chamber music and outreach organization Winsor Music.
Hailed for her "magnetic, wide-ranging tone" and her "rock solid technique" (Philadelphia Inquirer), Ayane Kozasa is a sought-after chamber musician, collaborator, and educator. She is a founding member of the award-winning Aizuri Quartet, which she belonged to for eleven years. A winner of the Primrose International Viola Competition, she has commissioned multiple new works featuring the viola. Currently, she is a member of the duo Ayane & Paul with Paul Wiancko. Together, the two collaborated on Norah Jones’ album Pick Me Up Off the Floor, and are also part of Owls, a quartet collective with violinist Alexi Kenney and cellist Gabriel Cabezas. Active in mentoring young musicians, she is on the viola faculty of the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and has been guest faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Northwestern University.

Said David Harrington, “And now Paul and I happily welcome Gabriela and Ayane to the Kronos family! We are inspired and thrilled by the imagination, skill, and bold ideas that they will bring to the future work of Kronos. This next chapter will be full of big adventures–stay tuned!”