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Bringing classical music to new audiences in new ways is the goal of Mason Bates’ innovative activities as a curator. His eclectic stylistic appetite, eye for production and stagecraft, and DJ’s zeal for local outreach and promotion have made a major impact on the institutions and communities where he has worked.

Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra is a 25-minute animated film that flies through the instruments of the orchestra to explore the age-old connection of creativity and technology. The work is commissioned by the Chicago, San Francisco, National, Dallas, and Pittsburgh Symphonies and will be released on television by Vulcan Productions.

Guided by a magical Sprite, we see violin strings vibrate, brass valves slice air, and drum heads resonate. Imaginatively blending traditional and modern animation styles, it is a kinetic and cutting edge guide to the orchestra. By the film’s end, the orchestra must overcome its tribal differences to demonstrate “unity from diversity” in a spectacular finale.

The Philharmonia Fantastique website and the accompanying kid-friendly space, Sprite’s World, is an interactive site for learning more about Sprite and the musical instruments. The site also provides access to the Philharmonia Fantastique Youth Concert Resource Guide, a comprehensive teaching guide to the music and film.

Recently named the most-performed composer of his generation and the 2018 Composer of the year by Musical America, Mason Bates serves as the first composer-in-residence of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Championed by legendary conductors such as Riccardo Muti, Michael Tilson Thomas, Leonard Slatkin, and Yannick Nezet-Seguin, his symphonic music is the first to receive widespread acceptance for its unique integration of electronic sounds, and his opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs was hailed as one of the best-selling productions in the history of Santa Fe Opera.

As both a DJ and a curator, he has become a visible advocate for bringing new music to new spaces, whether through institutional partnerships such as his former residency with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, or through his club/classical project Mercury Soul, which transforms commercial clubs into exciting hybrid musical events. He has also composed for films, including Gus Van Sant's The Sea of Trees starring Matthew McConaughey and Naomi Watts.

Now serving as the first composer-in-residence of the Kennedy Center, Bates works with the CenteR&Broad range of artistic constituents, from performances with the National Symphony to appearances with Jason Moran on Kennedy Center Jazz, often integrating DJs into the Center unique spaces. His KC Jukebox series presents new music in new formats, featuring immersive production and ambient information to educate the audience, as well as post-parties with DJs to allow people to debrief in a casual setting.

Working in clubs under the name DJ Masonic, Bates has developed a post-classical rave that has integrated classical music and electronica to packed crowds in collaborations with clubs and orchestras around the country. Mercury Soul beds sets of classical music into a fluid evening of DJing and immersive stagecraft, bringing a new vision of the listening experience to widespread audiences.

A diverse artist exploring the ways classical music integrates into contemporary cultures, he serves on the faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, which offers both traditional compositional training and instruction in music technology. 

Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning

Eric Friedman 
Director, Digital Learning

Kenny Neal 
Manager, Digital Education Resources

Tiffany A. Bryant 
Manager, Operations and Audience Engagement

JoDee Scissors 
Content Specialist, Digital Learning

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Generous support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

Gifts and grants to educational programs at the Kennedy Center are provided by The Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; Bank of America; Capital One; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Carnegie Corporation of New York; The Ednah Root Foundation; Harman Family Foundation; William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust; the Kimsey Endowment; The Kiplinger Foundation; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Lois and Richard England Family Foundation; Dr. Gary Mather and Ms. Christina Co Mather; The Markow Totevy Foundation; Dr. Gerald and Paula McNichols Foundation; The Morningstar Foundation; Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund; The Irene Pollin Audience Development and Community Engagement Initiatives;

Prince Charitable Trusts; Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A. J. Stolwijk; Rosemary Kennedy Education Fund; The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates; The Victory Foundation; The Volgenau Foundation; Volkswagen Group of America; Jackie Washington; GRoW @ Annenberg and Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family; Wells Fargo; and generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. Additional support is provided by the National Committee for the Performing Arts..

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