The San Francisco Chronicle has praised the Friction Quartet for its “high-octane music making” and “fine blend of rhythmic ferocity and tonal flair.” Dedicated to working with living composers, the quartet has given more than 70 world-premiere performances and commissioned 32 works since its formation in 2011. The Friction Quartet works outside the traditional string quartet model by performing arrangements of pop music, making use of digital sound processing, and combining music with other media. In 2016, the ensemble performed at Carnegie Hall as part of the Kronos Quartet’s groundbreaking initiative Fifty for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire.