MASON BATES
Mason Bates b. 1977, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The recipient of both an American Academy in Berlin Fellowship and a Rome Prize from the American Academy in Rome, Mason Bates moves fluidly between the worlds of classical concert music and underground electronica. To quote Symphony Magazine, “Mason Bates, or someone like him, was bound to appear sooner or later. Bates is a fast-rising young composer of orchestral music, and also a deejay. In the latter guise, he performs at electronica clubs under the nom-de-laptop DJ Masonic. His electronica has a quasi-classical fluidity, and in his orchestra music, he performs on laptop computer and drum pads as a soloist, eliciting much the same kind of noise grooves that he uses as a deejay. Many artists in one of these worlds have dabbled in the other. But Bates is the first to carry on two careers in tandem, and win credibility in both arenas.” His blending of classical music and electronica is expressed in works such as Digital Loom, commissioned for Juilliard's 100th Anniversary and Rusty Air in Carolina for electronics commissioned by the Winston-Salem (NC) Symphony in May 2006. Another recent work, Omnivorous Furniture, for sinfonietta & electronica, was premiered by members of The Los Angeles Philharmonic in Disney Hall and received subsequent performances last season by The American Composers Orchestra in New York and The Oakland Symphony. Upcoming premieres for Mr. Bates include Liquid Interface, which was commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra and will receive its premiere, conducted by Leonard Slatkin, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in February 2007. On August 11, 2007 the Festival will present Mason Bates’ Rusty Air in Carolina for orchestra and electronica.