Mason Bates is an American composer

Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...

 of symphonic music. Distinguished by his innovations in orchestration and large-scale form, Bates is best known for his expansion of the orchestra to include electronics. One of the most-performed composers of his generation, he has worked closely with the San Francisco Symphony and currently holds the position of composer-in-residence with the Chicago Symphony.

Life

Bates was raised in Richmond, Virginia, where he attended St. Christopher's School

St. Christopher's School, Richmond

St. Christopher’s School, founded in 1911, is a college preparatory school for boys located in Richmond, Virginia. A program of coordination with nearby St. Catherine's School allows a broader selection of courses at the Upper School level, taught in coeducational classes on both campuses...

. He graduated from the Columbia University

Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...

-Juilliard School

Juilliard School

The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...

 Exchange Program, with a BA in music composition and English literature, where he studied with John Corigliano

John Corigliano

John Corigliano is an American composer of classical music and a teacher of music. He is a distinguished professor of music at Lehman College in the City University of New York.-Biography:...

, David Del Tredici

David Del Tredici

David Del Tredici, born March 16, 1937 in Cloverdale, California, is an American composer. According to Del Tredici's website, Aaron Copland said David Del Tredici "is that rare find among composers — a creator with a truly original gift...

, and Samuel Adler

Samuel Adler (composer)

Samuel Hans Adler is an American composer and conductor.-Biography:Adler was born to a Jewish family in Mannheim, Germany, the son of Hugo Chaim Adler, a cantor and composer, and Selma Adler. The family fled to the United States in 1939, where Hugo became the cantor of Temple Emanuel in...

. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...

 with a PhD in composition in 2008, where he studied with Edmund Campion.
He was a DJ and techno artist, in Oakland, California

Oakland, California

Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...

.

Notable works include "Liquid Interface," a water symphony commissioned by the National Symphony; "The B-Sides," a symphonic suite commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony; and "Rusty Air in Carolina," a pastoral work commissioned by the Winston-Salem Symphony. He has worked closely with conductors such as Leonard Slatkin, Michael Tilson Thomas, and composer/conductor John Adams.

In 2010, Bates was commissioned to write for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011, an ensemble composed of musicians from around the world. His piece Mothership was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra

London Symphony Orchestra

The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...

 and went on Youtube

YouTube

YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

 on October 11, 2010. The piece is a mixture of acoustic and electronic elements and features sections for improvisation.

He is currently the composer in residence for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1891, the Symphony makes its home at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and plays a summer season at the Ravinia Festival...

.

Awards

• 2010-12 Chicago Symphony's Mead composer in residence.
• 2007-2010 Young American Composer-in-Residence for the California Symphony
• 2008 Guggenheim Fellowship
  Guggenheim Fellowship
  Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
  
  
• 2008 Van Cliburn American Composer Invitational First Prize
• 2004 Rome Prize
  Rome Prize
  The Rome Prize is an American award made annually by the American Academy in Rome, through a national competition, to 15 emerging artists and to 15 scholars The Rome Prize is an American award made annually by the American Academy in Rome, through a national competition, to 15 emerging artists...
  
  
• 2005 American Academy in Berlin Prize
  Berlin Prize
  The Berlin Prize is a residential fellowship at the Hans Arnhold Center, awarded by the American Academy in Berlin.- Fellows of the American Academy in Berlin :-References:*http://www.americanacademy.de/home/about-us/hans-arnhold-center/...
  
  
• Charles Ives scholarship
  Charles Ives Prize
  The Charles Ives Prize is a scholarship for young composers, awarded by the American Academy of Arts and Letters: scholarships of $7500, and fellowships of $15,000....
  
  
• American Academy of Arts and Letters fellowship
• Jacob Druckman Memorial Prize from Aspen Music Festival
• Tanglewood Music Center
  Tanglewood Music Center
  The Tanglewood Music Center is an annual summer music academy in Lenox, Massachusetts, United States, in which emerging professional musicians participate in performances, master classes and workshops designed to provide an intense training and networking experience...
  
   Fellowship

Symphonic Works

• "The B-Sides," for orchestra & electronica
• "Desert Transport," for orchestra
• "Liquid Interface"
• Silicon Blues," for orchestra
• "Rusty Air in Carolina", for orchestra & electronica
• "White Lies for Lomax"
• "Music from Underground Spaces," for orchestra & electronica
• "Omnivorous Furniture," for sinfonietta & electronica
• "Ode," prelude to the Beethoven 9th for orchestra
• "Sonic Panoply," fanfare for orchestra

Chamber/Vocal Works

• "From Amber Frozen," for string quartet
• "Red River," for violin, clarinet, cello, piano, & electronics
• "String Band," for piano trio
• "Digital Loom," for organ and electronics
• "White Lies for Lomax," for piano solo
• "The Life of Birds," for flute, clarinet, violin, and cello
• "Siren," for chorus

External links

• Artist's website
• “Rusty Air in Carolina” for orchestra & electronica (2006; 1.25 mb)