A quartet from Minneapolis formed in 1977, Zeitgeist was created to commission and perform contemporary music. Their repertoire consisted of works by the members that were written either collectively or individually as well as an extensive cross of works by living artists. When performing at the Kitchen in 1986, the groups contributing composers were Frederic Rzewski, John Cage, Eric Stokes, Peter Otto, and Homer Lambrecht. The musicians worked collaboratively with dancer, poets, visual artists, composers, and other music groups as well.