Mason Bates

Mason Bates (b. 1977) is an American classical composer and electronic music DJ, best known for expanding the orchestra to include electronics in his works. Mason received a B.A. degree in music composition and English literature from the Columbia University-Juilliard School Exchange Program after studying with John Corigliano, David Del Tredici, and Samuel Adler. Bates completed his doctorate dissertation under the supervision of Edmund Campion at the University of California, Berkeley and earned a Ph.D. degree in 2008.

Recently ranked as the second-most performed living composer in the United States, Mason Bates has been collaborating extensively with The San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and served as a composer-in-residence with The Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 2010 to 2015. Currently, he works as a composer-in-residence at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

In 2010, Bates was commissioned to write for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra. The Mothership, a single-movement concert for orchestra and laptop, was premiered by the international YouTube Orchestra under the baton of Michael Tilson Thomas in March of 2011 at Sydney Opera House. Live broadcast on YouTube attracted almost two million viewers.

As DJ Masonic, the artist is performing diverse sets, from jazzy trip-hop to techno, often incorporating live improvisations from jazz and classical musicians.