Mason Bates, Mead co-composer in residence of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, has been appointed to the composition faculty of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Known for his innovative, classically conceived works that incorporate techniques derived from his career as a DJ/techno artist, Bates also helps to curate the CSO’s MusicNOW series, which launches its 2014/15 season with a concert Sept. 29 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. His techno-influenced sinfonietta, The Rise in Exotic Computing, is on the program.
“Mason Bates represents an exciting generation of imaginative musicians and teachers, and we are very fortunate to have him with us,” said SFCM President David H. Stull in a statement.
Bates joins a faculty of distinguished composers that includes department chair David Conte, Elinor Armer and David Garner. The Conservatory is known as an advocate of new music under the leadership of composers such as John Adams and Ernest Bloch, director of the Conservatory from 1925 to 1930.
Frequently featured by the San Francisco Symphony in its Beethoven and Bates Festival programs, Bates has had works his performed by the London Symphony, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the YouTube Symphony and the vocal group Chanticleer. In 2012, he became one of the youngest-ever recipients of the Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities.
Bates received degrees in composition and English literature from the Columbia-Juilliard Exchange program, where he studied with John Corigliano, David Del Tredici and Samuel Adler. He also received a doctorate in composition from the University of California-Berkeley, where he studied with Edmund Campion. He will conclude his CSO residency with the 2014/15 season.