{{Short description|American composer (born 1977)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2023}} {{Infobox person | name = Mason Bates | image = Mason Bates.jpg | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date|1977|01|23}} | birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | death_date = <!-- model{{death date and age|2076|04|22|1977|01|23}}--> | death_place = | education = {{ubl| | Juilliard School | Center for New Music and Audio Technologies}} | spouse = | occupation = {{ubl| Composer | DJ }} | organizations = | awards = Grammy Awards | website = {{URL|http://www.masonbates.com/}} }} '''Mason Wesley Bates'''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bates, Mason|url=https://viaf.org/viaf/122298033/|access-date=August 25, 2020|website=VIAF|archive-date=May 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200519190213/https://viaf.org/viaf/122298033/|url-status=live}}</ref> (born January 23, 1977)<ref>''U.S. Public Records Index'' Vol 2 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Bates, Mason|url=https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2002071162.html|access-date=2020-08-25|website=Library of Congress|archive-date=June 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606023530/http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2002071162.html|url-status=live}}</ref> is a Grammy award-winning<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-grammys-classical-winners-20190210-story.html|title=Grammys classical winners: 'Steve Jobs,' Boston Symphony, Laurie Anderson with Kronos Quartet|date=February 11, 2019|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-02|archive-date=June 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618103525/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-grammys-classical-winners-20190210-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> American composer of symphonic music and DJ of electronic dance music. He is the first composer-in-residence of the Kennedy Center, and he has also been in residence with Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the California Symphony. In addition to his notable works ''Mothership'', ''Anthology of Fantastic Zoology'', and ''The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs'', he composed the score to Gus Van Sant's film ''The Sea of Trees''. In a 2018 survey of American orchestras, he was rated the second-most performed living composer.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bsomusic.org/stories/by-the-numbers-living-composers/ |title=By the Numbers: Living Composers |access-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111164428/https://www.bsomusic.org/stories/by-the-numbers-living-composers |url-status=live }}</ref> On September 21, 2025, his opera ''The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay'' opened the Metropolitan Opera's 140th season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=''The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay''|url=https://www.metopera.org/season/2025-26-season/the-amazing-adventures-of-kavalier--clay/ |access-date=2026-04-23 |publisher=Metropolitan Opera}}</ref><ref name=MetOpen>{{Cite web |title=The Metropolitan Opera's 2025–26 Season Opens with Gala Performance and Company Premiere of ''The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay'' on September 21|url=https://www.metopera.org/about/press-releases/the-metropolitan-operas-202526-season--opens-with-gala-performance-and-company-premiere-of--the-amazing-adventures-of-kavalier--clay-on-september-212/ |access-date=2026-04-23 |publisher=Metropolitan Opera}}</ref>
==Life== Bates was born in Philadelphia and raised in Richmond, Virginia,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bates, Mason|url=https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2002071162.html|access-date=2020-08-25|website=Library of Congress|archive-date=June 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200606023530/http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2002071162.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and Newtown, Virginia, where his family homestead and farm is located.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|last=Scheinin|first=Richard|date=December 30, 2013|title=Composer Mason Bates energizes symphonies with electronica|url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2013/12/30/composer-mason-bates-energizes-symphonies-with-electronica/|access-date=2020-08-25|website=The Mercury News|language=en-US|archive-date=August 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825144546/https://www.mercurynews.com/2013/12/30/composer-mason-bates-energizes-symphonies-with-electronica/|url-status=live}}</ref> He exhibited an early interest in creative writing at St. Christopher's School and received a letter from the Mayor of Munich in response to his poem ''The Village of a Million People'', written after a visit to the German city.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=RTDB&p_theme=rtdb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_hidethis=no&p_field_label-0=Author&p_field_label-1=title&p_bool_label-1=AND&s_dispstring=%22ode%20to%20munich%22%20AND%20date(all)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(%22ode%20to%20munich%22)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no|title=Search the Richmond Times-Dispatch Archive|website=nl.newsbank.com|access-date=2019-12-03|archive-date=March 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313130711/https://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=RTDB&p_theme=rtdb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_hidethis=no&p_field_label-0=Author&p_field_label-1=title&p_bool_label-1=AND&s_dispstring=%22ode+to+munich%22+AND+date%28all%29&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=%28%22ode+to+munich%22%29&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date%3AD&xcal_useweights=no|url-status=live}}</ref> His earliest choral compositions were conducted by his piano teacher Hope Armstrong Erb, and he studied composition with Dika Newlin, who was a student of Arnold Schoenberg.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kappel|first=Elisabeth|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v2W-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA64|title=Arnold Schönbergs Schülerinnen: Biographisch-musikalische Studien|series=Abhandlungen zur Musikwissenschaft|date=November 14, 2019|publisher=Springer-Verlag|isbn=978-3-476-05144-8|pages=64|language=de|doi=10.1007/978-3-476-05144-8|s2cid=214124013 |access-date=October 1, 2020|archive-date=March 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313130618/https://books.google.com/books?id=v2W-DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA64|url-status=live}}</ref>
During the summer of 1993 at Brevard Music Center, Bates's music caught the attention of conductor Robert Moody, who subsequently commissioned his first symphonic work ''Free Variations for Orchestra'' for his orchestra in Evansville, Indiana.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2001 {{!}} Announcements {{!}} About This Program {{!}} Koussevitzky Music Foundation Commissions for Composers {{!}} Programs at the Library of Congress|url=https://www.loc.gov/programs/koussevitzky-music-foundation/about-this-program/announcements/2001/|access-date=2019-12-03|website=Library of Congress|archive-date=December 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203233233/https://www.loc.gov/programs/koussevitzky-music-foundation/about-this-program/announcements/2001/|url-status=live}}</ref> Bates subsequently attended the Columbia University-Juilliard School program and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature and Master of Music in music composition.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hodges |first1=Bruce |title=Exploring the 20th and 21st Centuries: 2 Violin CDs |url=http://journal.juilliard.edu/journal/1502/CD-reviews |website=The Juilliard Journal |date=January 20, 2015 |publisher=The Juilliard School |access-date=May 1, 2022}}</ref> He studied music composition with John Corigliano, David Del Tredici, and Samuel Adler,<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|title=Mason Bates|url=https://www.americanacademy.de/person/mason-bates/|access-date=2020-08-25|website=The American Academy in Berlin|language=en-US|archive-date=August 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200830135627/https://www.americanacademy.de/person/mason-bates/|url-status=live}}</ref> while also studying playwriting with Arnold Weinstein.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Mason Bates: Musical Storyteller |url=https://www.sfcv.org/articles/artist-spotlight/mason-bates-musical-storyteller |access-date=2024-06-15 |website=www.sfcv.org |language=en}}</ref>
In 2001, Bates relocated to the Bay Area and studied under Edmund Campion in the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies at the University of California, Berkeley and graduated in 2008 with a PhD in composition.<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 19, 2014|title=Graduate Studies in Composition|url=https://music.berkeley.edu/graduate-studies/graduate-studies-in-composition/|access-date=2020-08-25|website=Berkeley Music|language=en-US|archive-date=August 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825143133/https://music.berkeley.edu/graduate-studies/graduate-studies-in-composition/|url-status=live}}</ref> He worked around that time as a DJ and techno artist under the name Masonic in clubs and lounges of San Francisco.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web|title=About|url=https://www.masonbates.com/about/|access-date=2020-08-25|website=Mason Bates|language=en-US|archive-date=July 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713200733/https://www.masonbates.com/about/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=April 2008|title=Classical Wiz Mason Bates Doubles as a Techno DJ|url=http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/Oakland-Magazine/April-2008/In-the-Mix/|access-date=2019-12-02|website=Oakland Magazine|archive-date=December 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202234116/http://www.oaklandmagazine.com/Oakland-Magazine/April-2008/In-the-Mix/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> In that year, with conductor Benjamin Shwartz and visual designer Anne Patterson, he founded Mercury Soul, a San Francisco-based non-profit organization that mounts club shows combining classical music and DJ sets in clubs.<ref>{{Cite web|title=History|url=https://mercurysoul.com/history/|access-date=2020-08-25|website=Mercury Soul|language=en-US|archive-date=August 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825022839/https://mercurysoul.com/history/|url-status=live}}</ref> He concurrently lived in Rome 2003-2004 as the recipient of The Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome<ref>{{Cite web|title=Directory by Year Index|url=http://www.sof-aarome.org/sof_dir_2001_2008.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415033654/http://www.sof-aarome.org/sof_dir_2001_2008.html|archive-date=April 15, 2011|website=Society of Fellows {{!}} American Academy in Rome}}</ref> as well as in Berlin in 2005 as recipient of the Berlin Prize from the American Academy in Berlin.<ref name=":02"/> In 2014 he joined the Composition faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 22, 2022 |title=Faculty, Mason Bates |url=https://sfcm.edu/faculty/mason-bates |access-date=2022-09-22 |website=SFCM}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Peterson |first=Tyler |date=September 11, 2014 |title=Composer Mason Bates Joins San Francisco Conservatory of Music Faculty |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwclassical/article/Composer-Mason-Bates-Joins-San-Francisco-Conservatory-of-Music-Faculty-20140911 |access-date=2022-09-27 |website=Broadway World}}</ref> He currently lives in Burlingame, California.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nagourney |first=Adam |date=September 11, 2025 |title=The Composer Bringing Symphonic Electronica to the Met |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/arts/music/mason-bates-met-opera-kavalier-clay.html |access-date=2025-09-21 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>
== Career == Bates showed an early interest in bridging the worlds of electronic and symphonic music, premiering his ''Concerto for Synthesizer'' in 1999 with the Phoenix Symphony and subsequently performing it with the Atlanta Symphony.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mason Bates Profile {{!}}{{!}} GRAMMYconnect|url=https://www.grammyconnect.com/people/mason-bates|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203232916/https://www.grammyconnect.com/people/mason-bates|archive-date=2019-12-03|access-date=2019-12-03|website=Grammy}}</ref> Robert Moody premiered that work in addition to ''Rusty Air in Carolina''. He gained national attention in 2007 with ''Liquid Interface'', a water symphony commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin, who premiered several works by Bates including ''Violin Concerto'' for Anne Akiko Meyers.
Bates has spoken about his symphonies as a revival of the narrative symphonies of the 19th century using 21st-century sounds,<ref>{{Cite web|date=January 7, 2014|title=Composer Mason Bates experiments with new sounds|url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/music/article/Composer-Mason-Bates-experiments-with-new-sounds-5118961.php|access-date=2019-12-02|website=San Francisco Chronicle|archive-date=December 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202234118/https://www.sfchronicle.com/music/article/Composer-Mason-Bates-experiments-with-new-sounds-5118961.php|url-status=live}}</ref> as exhibited by his 2018 symphony ''Art of War''. The piece "explores the drama of human conflict" using field recordings of mortar and artillery explosions made during two visits to Camp Pendleton, as well as recordings of the printing presses of the US Mint which appear in the work's opening movement "Money as a weapons system".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mason Bates: ''Art of War'' {{!}} A Kennedy Center Digital Stage Original|url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/video/digital-stage/classical-music/2019/mason-bates-art-of-war--a-kennedy-center-digital-stage-original/|access-date=2020-08-27|website=Kennedy Center|archive-date=August 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827122024/https://www.kennedy-center.org/video/digital-stage/classical-music/2019/mason-bates-art-of-war--a-kennedy-center-digital-stage-original/|url-status=live}}</ref>
Some of his works do not include electronic sounds, such as ''Resurrexit'', which was commissioned by Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in celebration of Manfred Honeck's 60th birthday.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Resurrexit|url=https://www.masonbates.com/resurrexit/|access-date=2020-08-27|website=Mason Bates|language=en-US|archive-date=January 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110160408/https://www.masonbates.com/resurrexit/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Lugansky plays Mozart {{!}} Honeck conducts Dvořák|url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/nso/home/2019-2020/honeck-lugansky-68253/|access-date=2020-08-27|website=Kennedy Center|archive-date=August 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827132956/https://www.kennedy-center.org/nso/home/2019-2020/honeck-lugansky-68253/|url-status=live}}</ref> Honeck conducted its premiere in 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Noseda|first=Gianandrea|date=January 2, 2020|title=Manfred Honeck Leads NSO in Varied Program featuring Music by Mason Bates, Mozart, and Dvořák with Pianist Nikolai Lugansky|url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/globalassets/news-room/press-release-pdfs/2020/nso.honeck.lugansky.pdf|website=National Symphony Orchestra|access-date=August 27, 2020|archive-date=November 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127115435/https://www.kennedy-center.org/globalassets/news-room/press-release-pdfs/2020/nso.honeck.lugansky.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
A long partnership with the San Francisco Symphony began with the 2009 premiere of ''The B-Sides'' under Michael Tilson Thomas, who subsequently conducted several works by Bates with the YouTube Symphony. The latter premiered ''Mothership'' at the Sydney Opera House in 2011 to an online audience of two million,<ref>{{Cite magazine|magazine=Marketing Magazine|date=April 24, 2014|title=Case study: YouTube Symphony Orchestra|url=https://www.slideshare.net/Marketingmagau/you-tube-orchestra|access-date=December 2, 2019|archive-date=August 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200823074707/https://www.slideshare.net/Marketingmagau/you-tube-orchestra|url-status=live}}</ref> and the work has become one of the most-performed orchestral works by a living composer. Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony recorded three Bates works during the Beethoven & Bates Festival of 2017, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Orchestral Performance. That same year also saw a nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for his ''Alternative Energy'' for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where Bates was named composer-in-residence from 2010 to 2015.
Film projects began in 2015 with the score for Gus Van Sant's film ''The Sea of Trees'', starring Matthew McConaughey, Naomi Watts and Ken Watanabe.<ref name=":12"/><ref>{{Cite web|title=Sea of Trees: Kiiro Fuyu|url=https://www.masonbates.com/sea-of-trees-kiiro-fuyu/|access-date=2020-08-25|website=Mason Bates|language=en-US|archive-date=March 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313130626/https://www.masonbates.com/sea-of-trees-kiiro-fuyu/|url-status=live}}</ref>
While gaining national prominence for his electro-acoustic symphonic music, Bates began experimenting with concert format in his curating projects in partnership with institutions such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Kennedy Center.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mason Bates: Curating the Concert Experience|url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/masonbates|access-date=2020-08-27|website=Kennedy Center|archive-date=August 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827121030/https://www.kennedy-center.org/MasonBates|url-status=live}}</ref> Through his club show Mercury Soul, Bates became familiar with lighting, production, and staging techniques that create fluid, information-rich environments in social settings. With composer Anna Clyne, Bates expanded the Chicago Symphony's MusicNOW series to include cinematic program notes, immersive production, and pre- and post-concert parties in partnership with the illmeasures DJ collective.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.wttw.com/2012/06/14/mason-bates|title=Mason Bates|website=WTTW News|language=en|access-date=2019-12-03|archive-date=December 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191203233402/https://news.wttw.com/2012/06/14/mason-bates|url-status=live}}</ref> After his residency with the CSO, Bates was named the first composer-in-residence of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., where he launched the new-music series ''KC Jukebox''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.masonbates.com/curating/|title=curating|website=Mason Bates|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-02|archive-date=December 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202234148/https://www.masonbates.com/curating/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Mason Bates's KC Jukebox|url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/festivals-series/mason-bates-kc-jukebox/|access-date=2020-08-27|website=Kennedy Center|archive-date=August 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827121119/https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/festivals-series/mason-bates-kc-jukebox/|url-status=live}}</ref> The series animates venues across the center, pairing classical ensembles and composers with artists outside the field, such as Thievery Corporation and the composers Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein of the Netflix series ''Stranger Things''.<ref name=":12"/>
His first opera, ''The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs'', was premiered in 2017 by the Santa Fe Opera, which added a performance to accommodate the high demand after selling out all seven originally scheduled performances. General Director Charles MacKay announced that it was one of the best-selling new works in its history,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wrti.org/post/secrets-leadership-santa-fe-operas-beloved-general-director-charles-mackay|title=The Secrets of Leadership from Santa Fe Opera's Beloved General Director Charles MacKay|last=Harder|first=Debra Lew|website=wrti.org|date=August 2018 |language=en|access-date=2019-12-02|archive-date=December 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202234148/https://www.wrti.org/post/secrets-leadership-santa-fe-operas-beloved-general-director-charles-mackay|url-status=live}}</ref> and Santa Fe Opera's recording on Pentatone Records went on to win the 2019 Grammy® for Best Opera Recording. Co-commissioners include San Francisco Opera, Seattle Opera, and Indiana University. The libretto was written by Mark Campbell.
In 2018, the Metropolitan Opera announced the commission of ''The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay'', with music by Bates and libretto by Gene Scheer.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Cooper|first=Michael|date=September 23, 2018|title=The Met Is Creating New Operas (Including Its First by Women)|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/23/arts/music/metropolitan-opera-bam-public-theater-women.html|access-date=2019-12-02|issn=0362-4331|archive-date=November 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128021631/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/23/arts/music/metropolitan-opera-bam-public-theater-women.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Dobrin|first=Peter|date=September 25, 2018|title=Philadelphia Orchestra, Met Opera could do a ''Kavalier & Clay'' opera with Mason Bates|url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/arts/philadelphia-orchestra-met-opera-kavalier-clay-mason-bates-20180925.html|access-date=2020-08-25|website=The Philadelphia Inquirer|archive-date=November 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109025754/https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/arts/philadelphia-orchestra-met-opera-kavalier-clay-mason-bates-20180925.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The opera is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel with the same name by Michael Chabon about a Jewish immigrant who writes comic books to earn enough money to save his family from the Holocaust.
In November 2019, Vulcan Productions announced details about ''World's Greatest Synth: The Making of the Orchestra'' (later retitled ''Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra<ref name=":2" />''), a 25-minute multimedia work integrating film, animation and pre-recorded sound with a live orchestra. It was co-commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra. The work is a collaboration between Bates and director and sound designer Gary Rydstrom of Lucasfilm and Skywalker Sound, as well as animator Jim Capobianco of Aerial Contrivance Workshop. ''Philharmonia Fantastique'' is a 'guide to the orchestra' with a script by Bates and Rydstrom (the director of the film), and an electro-acoustic symphonic score by Bates.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Philharmonia Fantastique|url=https://www.vulcanproductions.com/our-work/philharmonia-fantastique-the-making-of-the-orchestra|access-date=2020-08-25|website=Vulcan Productions|archive-date=August 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825074928/https://www.vulcanproductions.com/our-work/philharmonia-fantastique-the-making-of-the-orchestra|url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title=Philharmonia Fantastique|url=https://www.masonbates.com/philharmonia-fantastique/|access-date=2020-08-25|website=Mason Bates|language=en-US|archive-date=August 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825015232/https://www.masonbates.com/philharmonia-fantastique/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://csosoundsandstories.org/cso-kidsbook-philharmonia-fantastique/|title=CSO Kidsbook: Philharmonia Fantastique|publisher=Negaunee Music Institute|year=2020|pages=6|access-date=August 25, 2020|archive-date=August 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825035733/https://csosoundsandstories.org/cso-kidsbook-philharmonia-fantastique/|url-status=live}}</ref> It was set to be premiered by Chicago Symphony Orchestra with guest conductor Edwin Outwater in March 26–28 in 2020, marking the 100th-anniversary celebration of the 1919 founding of the CSO School and Family Matinee Concerts series by Frederick Stock, CSO's second music director.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Wise|first=Benjamin C.|date=November 14, 2019|title=World premiere by Mason Bates blends music and digital animation|url=https://csosoundsandstories.org/world-premiere-by-mason-bates-blends-music-and-digital-animation/|access-date=2020-08-25|website=CSO Sounds & Stories|archive-date=August 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814231935/https://csosoundsandstories.org/world-premiere-by-mason-bates-blends-music-and-digital-animation/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the premiere was cancelled as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Canceled: Family Matinee: Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra|url=https://order.cso.org/10118/10122|access-date=2020-08-25|website=Chicago Symphony Orchestra – Symphony Center Presents|archive-date=August 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825035716/https://order.cso.org/10118/10122|url-status=live}}</ref> Its West Coast premiere in April 16–18 in the same year by the San Francisco Symphony<ref>{{Cite web|last=Boucher|first=Geoff|date=November 20, 2019|title='Philharmonia Fantastique': Mason Bates's New Concerto Has Animated Future|url=https://deadline.com/2019/11/philharmonia-fantastique-mason-batess-new-concerto-has-animated-future-1202790550/|access-date=2020-08-25|website=Deadline Hollywood|language=en|archive-date=June 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200622220526/https://deadline.com/2019/11/philharmonia-fantastique-mason-batess-new-concerto-has-animated-future-1202790550/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Tchaik 5 & Mason Bates' Philharmonia Fantastique|url=https://www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2019-20/Tchaik-5-Mason-Bates-Philharmonia-Fantastique|access-date=2020-08-25|website=San Francisco Symphony|archive-date=August 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825090624/https://www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2019-20/Tchaik-5-Mason-Bates-Philharmonia-Fantastique|url-status=live}}</ref> was postponed for the same reason.<ref>{{Cite web|date=March 14, 2020|title=All Concerts at Davies Symphony Hall Through April 30 Are Canceled or Postponed|url=https://www.sfsymphony.org/About-SFS/Press-Room/Press-Releases/DSH-Cancellation-thru-4-30|access-date=2020-08-25|website=San Francisco Symphony|archive-date=August 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200825091524/https://www.sfsymphony.org/About-SFS/Press-Room/Press-Releases/DSH-Cancellation-thru-4-30|url-status=live}}</ref> The Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra also plan to perform ''Philharmonia Fantastique'' in their 2020–21 season,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|date=June 5, 2019|title=CSO to present world premiere of Mason Bates' 'World's Greatest Synth'|url=https://csosoundsandstories.org/the-cso-to-present-world-premiere-of-mason-bates-worlds-greatest-synth/|access-date=2019-12-02|website=CSO Sounds & Stories|archive-date=October 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025154652/https://csosoundsandstories.org/the-cso-to-present-world-premiere-of-mason-bates-worlds-greatest-synth/|url-status=live}}</ref> after which it will be made available for rental as a 'film in concert' package.
On September 21, 2025, his opera ''The Adventures of Kavalier & Clay'' opened the Met Opera 2025-2026 season.<ref name=MetOpen />
==Awards== * 2019 Grammys Winner Best Opera Recording – ''The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs''<ref>{{cite news|title=Grammys classical winners: ''Steve Jobs'', Boston Symphony, Laurie Anderson with Kronos Quartet|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-grammys-classical-winners-20190210-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=February 11, 2019|access-date=February 12, 2019|archive-date=June 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618103525/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-grammys-classical-winners-20190210-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> * 2017 Musical America Composer of the Year 2018<ref>{{cite web|title=Composer of the Year: Mason Bates|url=http://www.musicalamerica.com/features/?fid=329&fyear=2018|website=Musical America|access-date=October 18, 2017|archive-date=March 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313130645/https://www.musicalamerica.com/features/index.cfm?fid=329&fyear=2018|url-status=live}}</ref> * 2012 18th Annual Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities<ref>{{cite web|title=The Heinz Awards: Mason Bates|url=http://www.heinzawards.net/recipients/mason-bates|website=The Heinz Awards|access-date=August 24, 2016|archive-date=October 20, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020083132/http://heinzawards.net/recipients/mason-bates|url-status=live}}</ref> * 2008 Guggenheim Fellowship<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gf.org/fellows/859-mason-bates |title=Mason Bates – John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation |access-date=2010-11-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622011539/http://www.gf.org/fellows/859-mason-bates |archive-date=2011-06-22 }}</ref> * 2008 Van Cliburn American Composer Invitational First Prize * 2006 Creative Capital Award * 2004 Rome Prize<ref>{{Cite web|title=Young American Composer-in-Residence {{!}} California Symphony|url=https://www.californiasymphony.org/off-stage/for-artists/|access-date=2020-08-25|website=The California Symphony|language=en-US|archive-date=August 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810180241/https://www.californiasymphony.org/off-stage/for-artists/|url-status=live}}</ref> * 2005 American Academy in Berlin Prize<ref name=":02"/> * Charles Ives scholarship<ref name="artsandletters.org">{{Cite web|url=https://artsandletters.org/awards/|title=Awards – American Academy of Arts and Letters|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-03|archive-date=July 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729004256/https://artsandletters.org/awards/|url-status=live}}</ref> * American Academy of Arts and Letters fellowship<ref name="artsandletters.org"/> * Jacob Druckman Memorial Prize from Aspen Music Festival * Tanglewood Music Center Fellowship
== Composer-in-residence ==
* 2015 Kennedy Center composer-in-residence<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mason Bates|url=https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/b/ba-bn/mason-bates/|access-date=2020-08-27|website=Kennedy Center|archive-date=August 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200827102227/https://www.kennedy-center.org/artists/b/ba-bn/mason-bates/|url-status=live}}</ref> * 2012–2013, 2014–2015 Composer of the Year, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20150424125154/https://pittsburghsymphony.org/pso_home/web/subscribe-mgc-14-15/composer-of-the-year-mason-bates/], "Composer of the Year: Mason Bates"</ref> * 2010–2015 Chicago Symphony's Mead composer in residence.<ref>[http://www.sfcv.org/article/music-news-october-20-2009 "Bates: Never Homeless"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620111723/http://sfcv.org/article/music-news-october-20-2009 |date=June 20, 2010 }}, ''Music News: San Francisco Classical Voice'', Janos Gereben, October 20, 2009</ref> * 2007–2010 Young American composer-in-residence for the California Symphony<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.californiasymphony.org/backstage/Bates|title=Mason Bates|publisher=Californiasymphony.org|access-date=2010-07-19|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174744/http://www.californiasymphony.org/backstage/Bates|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Compositions== ===Symphonic works=== * ''Silicon Hymnal'', for orchestra and electronics (2025)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-03 |title=TCHAIKOVSKY & TIME FOR THREE |url=https://azmusicfest.org/events/tchaikovsky-time-for-three/ |access-date=2025-03-26 |website=Arizona Musicfest |language=en-US}}</ref> * ''Piano Concerto'', for Daniil Trifonov (2022)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Daniil Trifonov wows Philadelphia with Mason Bates world premiere |url=https://bachtrack.com/de_DE/review-trifonov-nezet-seguin-bates-rimsky-korsakov-philadelphia-orchestra-january-2022 |access-date=2024-11-02 |website=bachtrack.com |language=de}}</ref> * ''Philharmonia Fantastique'', for orchestra and animated film (2022) * ''Undistant'', for orchestra (2021) * ''Art of War'', for orchestra and electronics (2018) * ''Resurrexit'', for orchestra (2018) * ''Children of Adam'', songs of creation for orchestra and chorus (2017) * ''Sideman'', for band and percussion (2016) * ''Auditorium'', for orchestra (2016) * ''Anthology of Fantastic Zoology'', for orchestra (2015)<ref>{{cite web |last=Rhein |first=John von |title=Review: Muti closes season with Bates' magical, musical bestiary |work=Chicago Tribune |date=June 19, 2015 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/vonrhein/ct-cso-muti-two-review-20150619-column.html |access-date=July 9, 2015 |archive-date=July 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710042155/http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/vonrhein/ct-cso-muti-two-review-20150619-column.html |url-status=live }}</ref> * Cello Concerto, for cello and orchestra (2014)<ref>{{cite web |last=Kiraly |first=Philippa |title=Seattle Symphony Premieres Bates Cello Concerto |work=Classical Voice North America |date=December 15, 2014 |url=http://classicalvoiceamerica.org/2014/12/15/seattle-symphony-premieres-bates-cello-concerto/ |access-date=July 7, 2015 |archive-date=July 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706183605/http://classicalvoiceamerica.org/2014/12/15/seattle-symphony-premieres-bates-cello-concerto/ |url-status=live }}</ref> * ''Devil's Radio'', for orchestra (2014) * ''Garages of the Valley'', for orchestra (2014) * ''The Rise of Exotic Computing'', for sinfonietta and laptop (2013) * ''Attack Decay Sustain Release'', fanfare for orchestra (2013) * Violin Concerto, for orchestra and violin (2012)<ref>{{cite web |last=Kanny |first=Mark |title=Slatkin, PSO champion Mason Bates' Violin Concerto |work=Pittsburgh Tribune-Review |date=December 5, 2012 |url=http://triblive.com/aande/music/3047867-74/bates-symphony-composer#axzz3fABXiDRJ |access-date=July 7, 2015 |archive-date=July 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707161137/http://triblive.com/aande/music/3047867-74/bates-symphony-composer#axzz3fABXiDRJ |url-status=live }}</ref> * ''Alternative Energy'', for orchestra and electronica (2011)<ref>{{cite web |last=Rhein |first=John von |title=Slatkin, PSO champion Mason Bates' Violin Concerto |work=Chicago Tribune |date=February 3, 2012 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2012/02/03/in-mutis-hands-new-mason-bates-work-presses-the-right-buttons-with-cso-audience/ |access-date=July 9, 2015 |archive-date=July 10, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710035713/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-02-03/entertainment/ct-ent-0204-cso-bates-review-20120204_1_bates-and-anna-clyne-cso-alternative-energy |url-status=live }}</ref> * ''Mothership'', for orchestra and electronica (2011)<ref>{{cite web |title=Mason Bates: Electronica, Meet Orchestra |publisher=NPR |date=March 11, 2012 |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/03/13/134457684/mason-bates-electronica-meet-orchestra |access-date=July 9, 2015 |archive-date=July 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709072352/http://www.npr.org/2011/03/13/134457684/mason-bates-electronica-meet-orchestra |url-status=live }}</ref> * ''Desert Transport'', for orchestra (2010) * ''Sea-Blue Circuitry'', for orchestra or band (2010) * ''Mainframe Tropics'', for orchestra (2010) * ''The B-Sides'', for orchestra and electronica (2009)<ref>{{cite web |last=Petrie |first=Lisa |title=An Otherworldly Premiere |work=San Francisco Classical Voice |date=May 11, 2009 |url=https://www.sfcv.org/content/otherworldly-premiere |access-date=July 9, 2015 |archive-date=July 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709152322/https://www.sfcv.org/content/otherworldly-premiere |url-status=live }}</ref> * ''Music from Underground Spaces'', for orchestra and electronica (2008) * ''Liquid Interface'' (2007)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/artists/?entity_id=5262&source_type=C |title=Mason Bates and#124; Explore the Arts|publisher=Kennedy Center|access-date=2010-07-19 |archive-date=June 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613050330/http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/artists/?entity_id=5262&source_type=C |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.laphil.com/philpedia/piece-detail.cfm?id=2909 |title=Mason Bates: Liquid Interface – Piece Detail |publisher=LA Phil |access-date=2010-07-19 |archive-date=February 29, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120229132932/http://www.laphil.com/philpedia/piece-detail.cfm?id=2909 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Balicki |first=Robert |url=http://www.dailycal.org/printable.php?id=23701 |title=Composer Makes A Splash With Water Symphony |work=The Daily Californian |publisher=Dailycal.org |date=March 6, 2007 |access-date=2010-07-19 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> * ''Rusty Air in Carolina'', for orchestra and electronica (2006)<ref>{{cite web |last=Bloom |first=Elizabeth |title=Concert review: PSO shows no rust in opening weekend |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |date=September 20, 2014 |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music-reviews/2014/09/20/Concert-review/stories/201409200168 |access-date=July 14, 2015 |archive-date=July 14, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714084858/http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/music-reviews/2014/09/20/Concert-review/stories/201409200168 |url-status=live }}</ref> * ''White Lies for Lomax'' (2009)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cliburn.org/index.php?page=mason-bates |title=Van Cliburn Foundation – Mason Bates |publisher=Cliburn.org |access-date=2010-07-19 |archive-date=May 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516104644/http://www.cliburn.org/index.php?page=mason-bates |url-status=live }}</ref> * ''Omnivorous Furniture'', for sinfonietta and electronica (2004) * ''Ode'', prelude to the Beethoven 9th for orchestra (2001) * ''Icarian Rhapsody'', for string orchestra (1999)
===Operatic works=== * ''The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs'' (2017)<ref name="SFopera-Jobs">{{cite web | title=The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs | url=https://www.santafeopera.org/operas-and-ticketing/the-revolution-of-steve-jobs | work=santafeopera.org | url-status=live <!-- archives from 2017-07-01 & 2017-07-20 are not as complete as the 2017-02-10 archive --> | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210001737/https://www.santafeopera.org/operas-and-ticketing/the-revolution-of-steve-jobs | archive-date=2017-02-10 }} </ref><ref name="guardian2017-07-23">{{cite news | title='Nobody has one button': Steve Jobs opera sings Apple founder's praises – and flaws | url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jul/23/revolution-of-steve-jobs-opera-sante-fe | first=Chloe | last=Veltman | work=The Guardian | date=July 23, 2017 | access-date=2017-07-23 | archive-date=July 23, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170723192155/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jul/23/revolution-of-steve-jobs-opera-sante-fe | url-status=live }}</ref> * ''The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay'' (2024)<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-14 |title=Mason Bates' Met-bound opera ''Kavalier & Clay'' based on Michael Chabon novel premieres in Indiana |url=https://apnews.com/article/kavalier-clay-opera-c8ca171e39df89c587f6f745e6b67cc5 |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=AP News}}</ref>
===Chamber=== *''Shenandoah'', for solo violin (2019) * ''Carbide and Carbon'', for cello ensemble (2013) * ''Difficult Bamboo'', for Pierrot ensemble and percussion (2013) * ''Bagatelles'', for string quartet and electronica (2012) * ''Stereo is King'', for three percussionists and tape (2011) * ''The Life of Birds'', for flute, clarinet, violin, and cello (2008) * ''White Lies for Lomax'', for piano solo (2007) * ''Red River'', for violin, clarinet, cello, piano, and electronics (2007) * ''Digital Loom'', for organ and electronics (2005) * ''From Amber Frozen'', for string quartet (2004) * ''String Band'', for piano trio (2002) * ''Mercury Soul'', for clarinet and piano (2002)
=== Vocal works ===
* ''Children of Adam'', songs of creation for orchestra and chorus (2018)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://peninsulasymphony.org/2017-2018season/2018may/|title=From Vienna to Silicon Valley – May 2018 concert|work=Peninsula Symphony|access-date=2018-05-11|archive-date=July 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714131427/https://peninsulasymphony.org/2017-2018season/2018may/|url-status=dead}}</ref> * ''Drum-Taps'', for choir (2017)<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 13, 2017|title=The Soldier's Life in Music|url=https://www.kdfc.com/culture/the-state-of-the-arts/soldiers-life-music/|access-date=2020-08-30|website=Classical KDFC|language=en-US|archive-date=August 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200830145512/https://www.kdfc.com/culture/the-state-of-the-arts/soldiers-life-music/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=September 10, 2017|title=From "Jobs" to the new season|url=https://www.masonbates.com/from-jobs-to-the-new-season/|access-date=2020-08-30|website=Mason Bates|language=en-US|archive-date=January 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110162930/https://www.masonbates.com/from-jobs-to-the-new-season/|url-status=live}}</ref> * ''Passage'', for mezzo-soprano and orchestra (2017) * ''Mass Transmission'', for organ, electronics, and chorus (2012)<ref>{{cite web|title=Mason Bates's Mass Transmission: The Story of People Coming Together Over Vast Distances|publisher=Carnegie Hall|url=http://www.carnegiehall.org/BlogPost.aspx?id=4294985137|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160729073027/http://www.carnegiehall.org/BlogPost.aspx?id=4294985137|archive-date=July 29, 2016|access-date=April 27, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Hurd|first=George|date=April 12, 2019|title=A New Record: Mass Transmission|url=https://www.masonbates.com/mass-transmission-new-record/|access-date=2020-08-30|website=Mason Bates|language=en-US|archive-date=January 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110161607/https://www.masonbates.com/mass-transmission-new-record/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Composer Mason Bates talks Mass Transmission|url=https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/composer-mason-bates-talks-mass-transmission|access-date=2020-08-30|website=Travel + Leisure|language=EN|archive-date=August 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200830145629/https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/composer-mason-bates-talks-mass-transmission|url-status=live}}</ref> * ''Observer in a Magellanic Cloud'', for chorus (2009) * ''Sirens'', for 12-part a cappella chorus (2009)
===Film scores=== * ''The Sea of Trees'' – dir. Gus Van Sant (2016)
==Discography== * ''American Masters'' – Violin Concerto (Entertainment One Music, 2014) * Riccardo Muti Conducts Mason Bates and Anna Clyne – ''Alternative Energy'' (CSO Resound, 2014) * ''Stereo is King'' (Innova Recordings, 2014) * ''Digital Loom'''' (MSR Classics, 2009) * ''Scrapyard Exotica'' (Sono Luminus DSL-92193) by Del Sol String Quartet (2015) * ''Works for Orchestra'' (San Francisco Symphony) by San Francisco Symphony (2016) * ''Anthology of Fantastic Zoology'' (CSO Resound) by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (2016) * ''The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs'' (Pentatone) by Santa Fe Opera (2018)
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.masonbates.com/ Official website] * {{IMDb name|7033665}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20100715010251/http://music.berkeley.edu/about/sounds.php "''Rusty Air in Carolina''"] for orchestra and electronica (2006; 1.25 mb)
{{Mason Bates}} {{Portal bar|Biography|Classical music}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Mason}} Category:1977 births Category:21st-century American classical composers Category:American contemporary classical composers Category:American electronic composers Category:American male opera composers Category:American opera composers Category:Berlin Prize recipients Category:Classical musicians from Virginia Category:Composers from Virginia Category:Columbia College, Columbia University alumni Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Juilliard School alumni Category:Living people Category:Musicians from Richmond, Virginia Category:St. Christopher's School (Richmond, Virginia) alumni Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni Category:21st-century American male composers Category:San Francisco Conservatory of Music faculty