Kronos Quartet began its week-long Barbican residency in London over the weekend with master classes and workshops. The residency, titled Awakenings, continues with concerts at Hackney Empire tonight, the Barbican on Thursday, and Wilton's Music Hall on Friday. Kronos Quartet appeared on BBC Radio 3's In Tune and performed two pieces from the concerts. "One of the most celebrated and famous ensembles on this globe," says In Tune's Sean Rafferty of his guests. "Nearly 40 years of innovation, excellence and excitement—how does one begin to describe the Kronos Quartet?"

In the spring of 2004, Caetano Veloso curated a week of special concerts at New York’s Carnegie Hall as one of its prestigious Perspectives artists. He invited his longtime friend and collaborator David Byrne to join him for an evening. The concert was recorded for broadcast on NPR and now will be released by Nonesuch as Caetano Veloso and David Byrne: Live at Carnegie Hall on March 13. The singer/guitarists each performed an acoustic set of their own songs and also performed together. Caetano Veloso and David Byrne: Live at Carnegie Hall is available now for pre-order in the Nonesuch Store.

The Black Keys launch their 2012 El Camino tour in Europe, with shows in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the UK. The band begins its North American arena tour on March 2 featuring sold-out shows at Chicago’s United Center, DC’s Verizon Center, and two nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden followed by a second batch of dates in April; special guests Arctic Monkeys open on the tour. The documentary This is a Concert by The Black Keys, shot at the band's album-release concert in NYC, is airing now on Palladia.

Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau were in Australia last week for a brief duo tour, including two concerts in Sydney for the 2012 Sydney Festival and one in Melbourne. Mehldau's "capacity for setting up a steady rhythm at fast pace was mesmerising, helping to drive Redman's playing on tenor and soprano to delirious heights," says The Australian of Friday's Sydney show. "It works at the highest level and is deeply human: full of delight, surprise, even ecstasy." The Brisbane Times gives Saturday's Melbourne show four stars: "It was playing of the highest order."

Carolina Chocolate Drops, Punch Brothers play a double bill at Celtic Connections in Glasgow then return to London ... Robert Wilson, Philip Glass's Einstein on the Beach tour launches in Ann Arbor ... Emmylou Harris celebrates her Grand Ole Opry 20th with Shawn Colvin ... Kronos Quartet launches Barbican residency in London ... The Low Anthem tours British Columbia with City and Colour ... Pat Metheny kicks off Blue Note Tokyo residency ... Joshua Redman and Brad Mehldau play Australia ... and more ...

Nonesuch Records releases an album of works by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki and composer/Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood on March 13, 2012. The album is now available to pre-order in the Nonesuch Store. The music on the album—Penderecki's Threnody for the victims of Hiroshima and Polymorphia (for 48 strings) and Greenwood's Popcorn Superhet Receiver and 48 Responses to Polymorphia—was presented in two concerts in Wrocław last fall and will be performed at London's Barbican Hall on March 22, featuring the artists on the recording.

Kronos Quartet is at the Barbican in London this weekend to launch a week-long residency entitled Awakenings. Kronos performs three concerts in three different venues, gives the world premiere of a major new work by Valentin Silvestrov, collaborates with two London choirs, and engages with young musicians and the public in a series of creative learning events. The Guardian calls it "voraciously ambitious in its musical range" and says: "Kronos have achieved more in getting the string quartet as a medium, and contemporary music as a creative force, into the global popular consciousness than pretty well any other ensemble."

Robert Wilson and Philip Glass's Einstein on the Beach returns for the first time in 20 years with the launch of a major international tour, starting with preview performances at the Power Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, this weekend. These mark the first North American presentations ever held outside of New York City. "It's only January, but the classical music event of the year is already upon us," exclaims the Detroit Free Press. "Glass and Wilson strip down the fundamentals of movement, image, text and music to essentials and then elevate their essence to operatic grandeur ... It's hard to overestimate the impact of Einstein on American music, art and culture."

Emmylou Harris will be honored by the Grand Ole Opry on the occasion of her 20th anniversary as an Opry member this Saturday at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. Her 20-year milestone will be celebrated with performances by the honoree, Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell, Buddy Miller, Shawn Colvin (making her Opry debut), and more.

Punch Brothers played songs from their forthcoming album, Who's Feeling Young Now?, at Bush Hall in London last night. The Guardian calls it "an exciting, wildly original set," giving it four stars. Chris Thile "provided acrobatic, sometimes fragile vocals and virtuoso mandolin work, with intricate changes of direction that were perfectly matched by his colleagues." The Times of London gives it a perfect five stars, exclaiming: "Brilliant, audacious, original and, above all, entertaining; Punch Brothers put on a show that pushed the boundaries of excellence in contemporary music performance in virtually all directions."

Steve Reich joined Bang on a Can All-Stars for the start of the group's 25th anniversary tour and a celebration of the composer's 75th birthday with an all-Reich concert at LA's Walt Disney Concert Hall on Tuesday. "A retrospective of Reich, performed by musicians who live and breathe his music, made attendance at this kind of event one of music's memorable experiences," says the Los Angeles Times. Reich is "as close to a rock star as a composer can get these days." Variety describes the performances of Music for 18 Musicians as "nothing short of transcendent."

Carolina Chocolate Drops and Punch Brothers are in the UK this week, set to share a bill at Celtic Connections in Glasgow on Friday. Before then, Punch Brothers have been performing with Amos Lee and headline their own show at Bush Hall in London. Carolina Chocolate Drops have been making the rounds at the BBC, performing songs from their forthcoming album, Leaving Eden, on BBC Radio 3's In Tune and talking with Radio 4's Front Row about reclaiming the black string-band tradition.