About Mason Bates
Composer of the bestselling The Amazing Adventure of Kavalier & Clay for The Metropolitan Opera, Mason Bates is imaginatively transforming the way classical music is created and experienced as a composer, DJ, and curator. With electro-acoustic works such as Mothership and multimedia projects such as the animated film Philharmonia Fantastique, Bates has become a visible advocate for the modern orchestra and imaginatively integrates it into contemporary culture.
His deep relationship with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he was appointed the nation’s first composer-in-residence, continues with recent performances of his Grammy-winning opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Championed by legendary conductors from Riccardo Muti, Michael Tilson Thomas, Marin Alsop, and Leonard Slaktin, his symphonic music is the first to receive widespread acceptance for its unique integration of electronic sounds.
Named as the most-performed composer of his generation, Bates has also composed for feature film, including Gus Van Sant’s The Sea of Trees starring Matthew McConaughey and Naomi Watts. He is also a passionate advocate impacting the next generation through classical/club shows produced by Mercury Soul and his educational ecosystem Sprite’s World, which reaches hundreds of thousands of students and teachers across the country.
World premieres
East meets West with the world premiere of Concerto for Pipa this season. Composed for superstar soloist Wu Man, the concerto premieres at Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra before traveling to Beijing’s National Center for the Performing Arts and Philadelphia Orchestra the following season. Resulting from a meeting of the composer and soloist in Beijing two years ago, the concerto is informed by American blues, jazz, and minimalism.
Also this season comes the world premiere of The Escapist Symphony by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where so much of Bates’ music has been performed and recorded. A thrilling dramatic symphony evoking the bustling energy of early comic book mythology amidst the genre’s heyday in 1940s New York City, the piece incorporates Bates’ signature blend of electronica and magical orchestral textures.
As part of their America 250 celebrations, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra debuts Appalachian Ayre, which connects the New and Old Worlds in a dreamy, lyrical homage. The piece explores the evolution of string techniques of the European baroque into the aesthetics of early American bluegrass.
Bates also continues a new song for mezzo Sasha Cooke as part of the San Francisco Symphony’s tribute to former music director Michael Tilson Thomas.
Operas in Europe, US, and on recording
Making its European debut this season is Bates’ first opera, the Grammy-winning The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Its first performances for European audiences begin at Finnish National Opera before traveling to Germany later in the season, and Utah Opera also performs the work, which has become one of the most-performed operas of the 21st Century.
This fall, the Metropolitan Opera releases the world premiere recording of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, which became the best-selling show at the Met last season. Due to strong demand, the opera was given an unprecedented mid-season revival, PBS broadcast, and Met HD broadcast in theaters. The album will be available on August 21.
Notable performances
Repeat performances of Bates’ works continue long after their premieres. Performances of works such as Cello Concerto with Memphis Symphony, Art of War with Mesquite Symphony Orchestra, and Mothership with the Googler Orchestra show
Continuing to delight audiences of all ages is Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra, for animated film and live orchestra. The work has become Bates’ most-performed work, with hundreds of performances in the past several years. A collaboration with multi-Oscar-winning Gary Rydstrom of Lucasfilm and Jim Capobianco of Aerial Contrivance, the work features a magical Sprite, who flies through instruments as they are played.
Available on Apple TV, Apple Music, and other streaming platforms, the piece will be performed by the St Louis, Nashville, Minnesota, and Fort Wayne symphonies, among many others.
Impact: Mercury Soul & Sprite’s World
The magical intersection of creativity and technology informs Bates’ passion for innovative outreach and education. At a time of shrinking arts education nationwide, his Phliharmonia Fantastique reaches hundreds of thousands of students every year, making it one of the most impactful pieces of classical music ever created for young people in the canon.
Beyond the film itself, the educational ecosystem Sprite’s World explores the many elements of the film in greater depth. Sprite’s World now anchors the Kennedy Center’s digital education endeavor, which reaches almost one million students and educators annually. With so many impacted by Sprite’s World, it has become a powerful platform for distributing innovative education materials as imaginative and fun as the film itself.
Bates’ other vehicle for music outreach is Mercury Soul, a classical club show that has packed clubs around the country. Its home series in San Francisco this season continues the organization’s celebration of spectacular spaces, with events at Electroluxx, Grace Cathedral, SJAS, DeYoung Museum, Oakland Unified, and other exciting venues. The show integrates classical sets in an evening of DJing and immersive production.
A diverse artist exploring the ways classical music integrates into contemporary culture, Bates serves on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
