Probably the highlight of the Malta Arts Festival, the Kronos Quartet will be performing in concert at the Argotti Botanical Gardens in Floriana on Monday.

The Kronos Quartet, which consists of David Harrington (violin), John Sherba (violin), Hank Dutt (viola) and Jeffrey Zeigler (cello), is one of the most celebrated string quartets of all time.

They will perform an eclectic and exhilarating showcase of crossover music originating from different parts of the globe including a new work by Steve Reich.

Kronos Quartet is the recipient of two of the most prestigious awards in the music industry – the Avery Fisher Prize and the Polar Music Prize. The Avery Fisher Prize is given to an American musician or ensemble for outstanding achievement in classical music.

The Polar Music prize is awarded to international artists and ensembles. This was the first time the prize has been awarded to a classical ensemble. No other ensemble or individual artiste has ever received both awards before.

In the past four decades the group has commissioned more than 700 works and arrangements for string quartet and made more than 45 recordings. The quartet is committed to mentoring emerging professional performers and in 2007 led its first professional training workshop with four string quartets as part of the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall.

The Kronos Quartet will be performing at 9 p.m.