Mason Bates

Mason W. Bates (born January 23, 1977)[1] is a Grammy award-winning[2] American composer of symphonic music and DJ of electronic dance music. He is the first composer-in-residence of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 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.

Mason Bates
Awards

Life

Bates was raised in Richmond, Virginia and Newton, Virginia, where his family homestead and farm is located. 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.[3] His earliest choral compositions were conducted by his piano teacher Hope Armstrong Erb, and he studied composition with Dika Newlin,[4] a disciple of Arnold Schoenberg.

During the summer of 1993 at Brevard Music Center, Bates’ 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.[5] Bates subsequently attended the Columbia University-Juilliard School program and earned a BA in English literature and MM in music composition. He studied music composition with John Corigliano, David Del Tredici, and Samuel Adler while also studying playwriting with Arnold Weinstein.

In 2001, he relocated to the Bay Area and graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a PhD in composition in 2008, where he studied with Edmund Campion while working as a DJ in San Francisco clubs and lounges in San Francisco.[6] His work as a DJ led to the founding of Mercury Soul, a San Francisco-based non-profit organization that mounts club shows combining classical music and DJ sets in clubs. Residencies at the American Academies in Rome and Berlin led to two years in Europe from 2003-2006, and he currently lives in the Burlingame Hills south of San Francisco.

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.[7] Robert Moody premiered that work in addition to Rusty Air in Carolina, a tribute to the summer ambience of the South integrating field recordings from the Carolinas. He gained national attention in 2007 with Liquid Interface, a water symphony commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin, who premiered and several Bates works including Violin Concerto for Anne Akiko Meyers.

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 Bates works with the YouTube Symphony. The latter premiered Mothership was premiered at the Sydney Opera House in 2011 to an online audience of two million,[8] and the work has become one of the most-performed orchestral works by a living composer. Thomas and the SFS recorded three Bates works during the Beethoven & Bates Festival of 2017, earning a Grammy® nomination for Best Orchestral Performance.[9] 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 2010-2015.

Bates has spoken about his symphonies as a revival of the narrative symphonies of the 19th Century using 21st Century sounds,[10] 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”. Many Bates works do not include electronic sounds, such as Resurrexit which was premiered by Manfred Honneck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

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. 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.[11] After his residency with the CSO, Bates was named the first composer-in-residence of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, where he launched the new-music series KC Jukebox.[12] 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.

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 performances. General Director Charles McKay announced that it was one of the best-selling new works in its history,[13] 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. In 2018, the Metropolitan Opera announced the commission of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, with music by Bates and libretto by Gene Sheer.[14] The opera is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Michel Chabon about a Jewish immigrant who writes comic books to make enough money to save his family from the Holocaust.

Film projects begin in 2015 with the score for Gus Van Sant's movie The Sea of Trees, starring Matthew McConaughey, Naomi Watts and Ken Watanabe. In November 2019, Vulcan Productions announced details about Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra, a 25’ multimedia work integrating film, animation and pre-recorded sound with a live orchestra. The work is a collaboration between Bates and director / sound designer Gary Rydstrom of Lucasfilm and Skywalker Sound, and animator Jim Capobiano of Aerial Contrivance Workshop. Philharmonia Fantastique is a ‘guide to the orchestra’ with a script by Bates and Rydstrom, who directs the film, and an electro-acoustic symphonic score by Bates. It will be premiered in March and April 2020 by the Chicago Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony, followed by performances in the 2020-2021 season by the Dallas, Pittsburgh, and National Symphonies.[15] Vulcan Productions, which is producing the film, will release it in theaters and on television in late 2020.

Awards

Composer in Residence
  • 2015 Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence[23]
  • 2012-2013, 2014-2015 Composer of the Year, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra[24]
  • 2010-15 Chicago Symphony's Mead composer in residence.[25]
  • 2007-2010 Young American Composer-in-Residence for the California Symphony[26]

Compositions

Symphonic works

Operatic works

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)[40]
  • Drum-Taps, for choir (2017)[41]
  • Passage, for mezzo soprano and orchestra (2017)[42]
  • Mass Transmission, for organ, electronics, and chorus (2012)[43]
  • Observer in a Magellanic Cloud, for chorus (2009)
  • Sirens, for 12-part a cappella chorus (2009)

Film Scores

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 ResoundOrchestra (2016)
  • The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs (Pentatone) by Santa Fe Opera (2018)
gollark: I think you're forgetting that hard disks have firmware in them, like most other devices.
gollark: I'm sure you'd like to think so.
gollark: Since it's insecure, I can just RCEize it and install Windows.
gollark: Too solar.
gollark: Evidently.

References
  1. U.S. Public Records Index Vol 2 (Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.), 2010.
  2. "Grammys classical winners: 'Steve Jobs,' Boston Symphony, Laurie Anderson with Kronos Quartet". Los Angeles Times. 2019-02-11. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  3. "Search the Richmond Times-Dispatch Archive". nl.newsbank.com. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  4. "Dika Newlin", Wikipedia, 2019-07-25, retrieved 2019-12-02
  5. "2001 | Announcements | About This Program | Koussevitzky Music Foundation Commissions for Composers | Programs at the Library of Congress | Library of Congress". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  6. "In the Mix - Oakland, California". www.oaklandmagazine.com. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  7. "Discover hidden connections || GRAMMYconnect". Discover hidden connections || GRAMMYconnect. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  8. Marketing Magazine (2014-04-24). "Case study: YouTube Symphony Orchestra". Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  9. "59th Annual Grammy Awards", Wikipedia, 2019-11-26, retrieved 2019-12-02
  10. "Composer Mason Bates experiments with new sounds". SFChronicle.com. 2014-01-07. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  11. "Mason Bates". WTTW News. Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  12. "curating". Mason Bates. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  13. Harder, Debra Lew. "The Secrets of Leadership from Santa Fe Opera's Beloved General Director Charles MacKay". www.wrti.org. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  14. Cooper, Michael (2018-09-23). "The Met Is Creating New Operas (Including Its First by Women)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  15. "CSO to present world premiere of Mason Bates' 'World's Greatest Synth' - CSO Sounds & Stories". csosoundsandstories.org. Retrieved 2019-12-02.
  16. "Grammys classical winners: 'Steve Jobs,' Boston Symphony, Laurie Anderson with Kronos Quartet". LA Times.
  17. "Composer of the Year: Mason Bates". Musical America.
  18. "The Heinz Awards: Mason Bates". The Heinz Awards. The Heinz Awards. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
  19. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-06-22. Retrieved 2010-11-25.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  20. "Anna-Maria Kellen Fellow, Class of Spring 2005". American Academy in Berlin. Retrieved March 10, 2012.
  21. "Awards – American Academy of Arts and Letters". Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  22. "Awards – American Academy of Arts and Letters". Retrieved 2019-12-03.
  23. , "Mason Bates Kennedy Center Composer-In-Residence" Feb 2015
  24. , "Composer of the Year: Mason Bates"
  25. "Bates: Never Homeless", Music News: San Francisco Classical Voice, Janos Gereben, October 20, 2009
  26. "Mason Bates". Californiasymphony.org. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  27. Rhein, John von (June 19, 2015). "Review: Muti closes season with Bates' magical, musical bestiary". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  28. Kiraly, Philippa (December 15, 2014). "Seattle Symphony Premieres Bates Cello Concerto". Classical Voice North America. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  29. Kanny, Mark (December 5, 2012). "Slatkin, PSO champion Mason Bates' Violin Concerto". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
  30. Rhein, John von (February 3, 2012). "Slatkin, PSO champion Mason Bates' Violin Concerto". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  31. "Mason Bates: Electronica, Meet Orchestra". NPR. March 11, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  32. Petrie, Lisa (May 11, 2009). "An Otherworldly Premiere". San Francisco Classical Voice. Retrieved July 9, 2015.
  33. "Mason Bates and#124; Explore the Arts - The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts". Kennedy-center.org. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  34. "Mason Bates: Liquid Interface - Piece Detail". LA Phil. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  35. Balicki, Robert (March 6, 2007). "Composer Makes A Splash With Water Symphony". The Daily Californian. Dailycal.org. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  36. Bloom, Elizabeth (September 20, 2014). "Concert review: PSO shows no rust in opening weekend". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  37. "Van Cliburn Foundation - Mason Bates". Cliburn.org. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
  38. "The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs". santafeopera.org. Archived from the original on 2017-02-10.
  39. Veltman, Chloe (July 23, 2017). "'Nobody has one button': Steve Jobs opera sings Apple founder's praises – and flaws". The Guardian. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
  40. "From Vienna to Silicon Valley - May 2018 concert - Peninsula Symphony". Peninsula Symphony. Retrieved 2018-05-11.
  41. http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/event/MRFSI
  42. http://www.kennedy-center.org/calendar/Event/NRJFK
  43. "Mason Bates's Mass Transmission: The Story of People Coming Together Over Vast Distances - Carnegie Hall". Retrieved 27 April 2016.
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