“The opening fanfare by Bates, “Soundcheck in C Major” — with the composer, 44, sitting in the percussion section, playing an Akai drum machine and two MacBook Pros — was cinematic and bracing . . . The whirl of electronic sounds he generated flew out across the audience, ricocheting among the sound-and-light towers.” – Adam Nagourney for The New York Times
Soundcheck in C Major was commissioned by the San Diego Symphony and premiered at The Shell in August 2021.