Mason Bates is imaginatively transforming the way classical music is created and experienced as a composer, DJ, and curator. With electro-acoustic works such as Mothership and multimedia projects such as the animated film Philharmonia Fantastique, Bates has become a visible advocate for the modern orchestra and imaginatively integrates it into contemporary culture.  His latest opera, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay for The Metropolitan Opera, debuted to such strong box office that it was given the unprecedented honor of a mid-season revival.

Bates previously served as the nation’s first composer-in-residence at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, where he presented a diverse array of artists through KC Jukebox, using immersive production and stagecraft. His groundbreaking work includes the Grammy-winning opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, which has been produced in more than a dozen cities. Championed by legendary conductors including Riccardo Muti, Michael Tilson Thomas, Marin Alsop, and Leonard Slatkin, his symphonic music has received widespread recognition for its unique integration of electronic sounds.

Named the most-performed composer of his generation in a survey of American music, Bates has also composed for feature film, including Gus Van Sant’s The Sea of Trees, starring Matthew McConaughey and Naomi Watts. His music has been recorded by artists and ensembles including Daniil Trifonov and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Gil Shaham and the Nashville Symphony, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.

Highly informed by his work as a DJ, Bates has developed Mercury Soul, a classical club show that has packed clubs around the country. He also continues to delight audiences of all ages through Sprite’s World, an educational ecosystem inspired by Philharmonia Fantastique that reaches hundreds of thousands of students and teachers nationwide.