Formed in 2020, the Anzû Quartet is an ensemble dedicated to the music of our time and the recent canon. A collaboration between internationally renowned performers of contemporary music, this new quartet pays homage to Olivier Messiaen’s Quatuor pour la fin du temps by actively commissioning and performing new works for this iconic instrumentation alongside Messiaen’s original masterpiece.

The members of Anzû are veterans of New York City's vital contemporary music community and have frequently collaborated with one another across a wide range of musical endeavors and acclaimed international performances. Olivia De Prato (violin), Ashley Bathgate (cello), Ken Thomson (clarinet) and Karl Larson (piano) have been lauded by critics and musicians worldwide, and have been instrumental in helping form and cement the work of important NY-based chamber groups such as the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Mivos Quartet, Ensemble Signal and Bearthoven. They have premiered works by some of the most important composers of our time at some of the most prestigious venues in the world.

The name anzû refers to a massive, fire and water breathing bird found in Babylonian and Sumerian mythology. In these ancient texts, Anzû is linked to death and destruction as well as birth and creation, reflecting the juxtaposing themes of calamity and salvation often expressed through birdsong in Messiaen's quartet.

The concert program highlights composers from all over… from Mexico’s Josué Collado Fegoso to Iranian composer Aftab Darvishi to Canadian-American composer Anna Webber.... and with influences coming from classical music, electronic music, and jazz.  All written for the Messiaen Quartet instrumentation, the music is reverent and sometimes solemn, but not without exciting bursts of unforgettable energy.