Composer

Percussionist

Voices Of America: The B-Sides

Sandler Center for the Performing Arts

Join us for the spring performance of the Michigan Youth Symphonic Band, the Michigan Youth Philharmonia Orchestra, and the Michigan Youth Symphony Orchestra. These ensembles are part of the Michigan Youth Ensembles (MYE) program, which brings together exceptional high school students for weekly rehearsals at SMTD. MYE Students, who are selected by audition, have the opportunity to engage in a stimulating environment, while learning from U-M conductors, applied faculty, and graduate students.

EPSG:4326

Michigan Youth Symphonic Band / Philharmonia Orchestra / Symphony Orchestra Spring Performance

University of Michigan

Mélisse Brunet returns to conduct Copland’s iconic Four Dance Episodes from Rodeo, Ives’ Variations on “America” and Bates’ The Rhapsody of Steve Jobs. Stewart Goodyear returns as soloist in Gershwin’s Piano Concerto in F, a 100-year-old work that fuses jazz, ragtime, and classical music into a sensational piece, rounding out this American celebration in music.

Celebrating America at 250: Gershwin, Copland & More

Phoenix Convention Center

In the heart of winter, ERSO will bring the spirit of summer back to Tallinn’s unique indoor venue, Teras Beach, for a concert unlike any other. Instead of heading south, audiences will travel to Haabersti, where the former Teras mechanical and metalworking factory (active from 1956 to 1991) has been transformed into a tropical oasis. With year-round temperatures of 26°C and a floor covered in soft, warm sand, it’s the perfect escape from Estonia’s cold season. Forget your winter coats and boots—this is a symphonic experience in summer clothes. The concert will be led by ERSO’s Principal Conductor, Olari Elts.

ERSO’s Summer Festival. By the Ocean

Terase siserand

1985-2025 40th anniversary with Mason Bates!

Cañada College

Symphonie Fantastique

Cannon Center For The Performing Arts

University of Memphis

This concert opens with a fresh take on the story of resurrection with lush layers of colorful sound evoking a cinematic feel. Resurrexit by Mason Bates will take you on a mystical pilgrimage with shimmering exotic tonalities that give way to contemplation and dramatic stirrings of rebirth. César Franck’s Symphonic Variations is a masterpiece of collaboration between piano and orchestra celebrating the interplay of poetic musical voices. Christopher Taylor’s virtuosic artistry is a perfect fit for this intimate and lyrical work. Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 is one of the most profound and transformative works ever. Written over six years, it journeys from a somber funeral march to a luminous vision of resurrection and renewal. Mahler once described this symphony as “my whole life in one work.” Themes of struggle, hope, and transcendence will bring us to a glorious reassurance of light in our lives.

Primal Light

Overture Center for the Arts

Hailed as “dazzling and inspired” by The New York Times, Leila Josefowicz returns to the NY Phil as soloist in Szymanowski’s Second Violin Concerto. In her NY Phil debut, conductor Marta Gardolińska (“an artist to be reckoned with,” The Guardian) leads the New York Premiere of Mason Bates’s Devil’s Radio and Lutosławksi’s Concerto for Orchestra, a virtuosic showcase for the full ensemble.

Leila Josefowicz Plays Szymanowski

David Geffen Hall

Music Director Andreas Delfs leads our soaring season opener with a thrilling mix of energy and elegance. Esteemed American violinist Anne Akiko Meyers brings her signature radiance to Barber’s deeply expressive Violin Concerto, a work of lyrical beauty and dazzling virtuosity. Mason Bates’ high-octane Mothership launches the program with modern flair, while Dvořák’s joyous Symphony No. 6 fills Kodak Hall with rich melodies and Bohemian spirit. An awe-inspiring start to an unforgettable season!

RPO: 25/26 Season Opener! Breathtaking Barber

Kodak Center

25/26 Season Opener! Breathtaking Barber

Eastman Theatre

In this exhilarating new adaptation of Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer Prize–winning novel, set shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, two Jewish cousins invent an anti-fascist superhero and launch their own comic-book series, hoping to recruit America into the fight against Nazism. Incorporating scintillating electronic elements and a variety of musical styles, composer Mason Bates’s eclectic score moves seamlessly among the three worlds of Gene Scheer’s libretto: Nazi-occupied Prague, the bustling streets of New York City, and the technicolor realm of comic-book fantasy. Bartlett Sher’s production provides spectacular visuals to match, with towering sets and proscenium-filling projections designed by Jenny Melville and Mark Grimmer of 59. Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the Opening Night premiere, and baritone Andrzej Filończyk makes his Met debut as the artist Joe Kavalier, who flees Czechoslovakia and arrives at the Brooklyn doorstep of writer Sam Clay, sung by tenor Miles Mykkanen.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

Lincoln Center

Shostakovich’s vivacious Festive Overture provides an appropriately celebratory opening to Shepherd’s 50th anniversary year. Mason Bates’s Mothership fuses classical instrumentation with action-packed improvisatory solos, while Strauss’s wild and suggestive Don Juan demands dazzling virtuosity from every section. Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2 culminates in a shimmering, ecstatic crescendo, one of the most breathtaking finales in the orchestral repertoire.

A Symphonic Celebration

Alice Pratt Brown Hall

Opening the program is Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, one of the most recognizable pieces of classical music in the world. The piece has been a mainstay of pop culture in films such as Lorenzo’s Oil and Platoon, has marked somber occasions with performances at the funerals of FDR and JFK, and even experienced a rediscovery by younger generations when it was performed as a dance music anthem by Dutch DJ, Tiësto in the early 2000’s.

Copland & Bates with Time for Three

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

Led by 2022 Musical America Conductor of the Year Teddy Abrams, this program highlights the sounds of American music from past to present.

Experience iconic works by Aaron Copland and Samuel Barber, and a SPAC premiere by contemporary composer Mason Bates, featuring genre-bending trio Time for Three. 

Copland & Bates with Time for Three and Teddy Abrams

Saratoga Spa State Park

Genre-bending string trio Time for Three joins conductor Robert Moody and the SF Symphony for a lively program featuring Mason Bates’s Silicon Hymnal, a Symphony commission. Described as “a book of songs with a heart of electronica,” Bates’s triple concerto is tailor-made for Time for Three’s signature sound. Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story closes the program with Broadway panache.

Time for Three and West Side Story

Davies Symphony Hall

The Rhine in Villingen-Schwenningen

Kultur- und Kongresszentrum Oberschwaben

Congress Center Villach

Villingen-Schwenningen

Studio Recitals feature students who all study with the same faculty instructor. These young artists represent their studio with a program curated by their teacher. 

Chen Zhao Violin Studio Recital

San Francisco Conservatory of Music

The Brevard Community Chorus and other area singers join the BSO’s season finale for Beethoven’s monumental Symphony No. 9, also known as Ode to Joy. Other works include Haydn’s jubilant Te Deum and Mason Bates’ techno-inspired Soundcheck in C Major.

Brevard Symphony Orchestra Signature Series: Ode to Joy

King Center for the Performing Arts

A daring and eclectic program indeed!

The first half will feature modernism at its most gleaming and seductive. Mason Bates’ deft blend of orchestra and electronics offers ear-popping pleasure.

Four Redwood Symphony soloists will play Messiaen’s final major work, a veritable menagerie of carefully transcribed bird calls by turns beguiling and raucous.

Tchaikovsky’s Pathetique

Meet the instruments! The concert begins with a classic introduction to the instruments in Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Then, dynamic concerto meets animated film in Mason Bates’ Philharmonia Fantastique. Guided by a magical Sprite, you’ll explore the fundamental connections between music, sound, performance, creativity and technology.

Philharmonia Fantastique

Jacobs Music Center

Experience the timeless charm and jazzy elegance of Mary Lou Williams’ Zodiac Suite for orchestra, beginning your concert experience with its captivating melodies and intricate rhythms. Then, immerse yourself in a sonic journey unlike any other as we begin the concert with Mason Bates’ mesmerizing Liquid Interface, an evocative exploration of the intersection between nature and technology. Dive into the vibrant world of jazz with Duke Ellington’s Suite from The River, where the music ebbs, gurgles, and flows like our own Reedy River.

Duke Ellington’s The River: A symphonic jazz celebration

Peace Center

The Carnegie Mellon University Chamber Series brings together members of the CMU Faculty and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra for outstanding music making in an intimate space.

Carnegie Mellon Chamber Series: Happening Now

Carnegie Mellon University

The UC Berkeley Music Department’s ensemble in residence devotes its winter concert to works by alumni of the university’s prestigious composition program, praised by the San Francisco Chronicle as “a constant source of challenging and arresting new compositions.”

CalPerformances presents Eco Ensemble

University of California, Berkeley

CYSO ‘s Concert Orchestra and Philharmonic Orchestra present their Fall concert.

Concert Orchestra & Philharmonic Orchestra Fall Concert

Northwestern University

Experience an evening of musical brilliance with the Pasadena Symphony & Pops as they present "Rhapsody in Blue" at the esteemed Ambassador Auditorium. Under the masterful direction of conductor Brett Mitchell, this concert promises a captivating journey through some of the most evocative compositions in classical music. The evening will feature the extraordinary talents of pianist Stewart Goodyear, whose virtuosity will bring George Gershwin's iconic "Rhapsody in Blue" to life, blending classical and jazz elements in a seamless, exhilarating performance.

The program also includes Mason Bates' "Sea-Blue Circuitry," a contemporary piece that intertwines electronic sounds with traditional orchestral textures, creating a unique auditory experience. Maurice Ravel's "Une barque sur l’océan" will transport listeners with its impressionistic depiction of a boat on the ocean, capturing the fluidity and motion of the sea through lush orchestration. Claude Debussy's "La Mer" will further immerse the audience in the maritime theme, with its three symphonic sketches that evoke the power and mystery of the ocean.

This concert is a celebration of musical innovation and timeless beauty, showcasing the Pasadena Symphony & Pops' commitment to delivering exceptional performances. The combination of classic and modern compositions, along with the stellar lineup of artists, ensures an unforgettable evening of auditory splendor.

Rhapsody in Blue

Ambassador Auditorium

Join Maestro Eylar as he inaugurates the 73rd season of the California Youth Symphony with a scintillating program featuring the award-winning and internationally recognized Senior Orchestra. Our program opens with Devil’s Radio, composed by Bay Area superstar composer Mason Bates. Bates holds the distinction of being the second-most performed living composer, as well as being a Grammy award-winning composer and the Musical America Composer of the Year (2018).

Season Opener Concert

San Mateo High School

Explore the orchestra with Britten's lively guide, Bates' modern movie tour, and Brahms' emotive final symphony.

Brahms Odyssey

Lesher Center for the Arts

Join us for an enchanting musical journey with the "Philharmonia Fantastique" at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, set to captivate audiences on October 19, 2024. This unique performance, perfect for ages 5-12, combines the magic of an animated film with the virtuosity of a live concerto, offering an immersive experience into the world of music. 

Created by the talented former CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Mason Bates, alongside an Oscar-winning creative team, "Philharmonia Fantastique" invites you to follow a magical sprite on an adventure inside musical instruments, revealing the intricate ways they come together to form an orchestra. The journey builds to a spectacular finale, with live music that promises to leave audiences in awe.

Under the baton of conductor Eric Jacobsen, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will perform this CSO Co-commissioned piece, "Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra," at the iconic Symphony Center. 

Tickets are priced between $15 and $65, making this extraordinary experience accessible to all. Mark your calendars, as individual concert tickets will be available for purchase starting August 2024. Don't miss this opportunity to introduce the younger generation to the wonders of orchestral music in a fun and engaging way.

Symphony Center

Animated film meets virtuosic concerto! Follow a magical sprite as it takes audiences inside musical instruments and shows how they work together as an orchestra. Created by former CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Mason Bates and an Oscar-winning creative team, this film with live music builds to a spectacular finale.

School Concert: Philharmonia Fantastique

Who could have known that the opening theme of Richard Strauss’ iconic 1896 tone poem would become one of today’s most recognizable sound bites? From the epic 1968 sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey to 2023’s Barbie, this work continues to thrill audiences around the world. We felt it was the perfect way to open our 50th season. If you haven’t heard it in the exquisite Concert Hall yet, you’re in for a treat. Our Opening Night performance will also feature a new listening experience for Vista Philharmonic fans, with Grammy-winning modern composer Mason Bates’ Sea-Blue Circuitry. This astounding accomplishment of contemporary classical is a shimmering, colorful workout for the orchestra. With virtuosity and passion at his fingertips, our guest artist – piano phenom Joshua Mhoon – transcends boundaries and captivates audiences worldwide. We know he will captivate us all in Rachmaninoff’s beloved concerto.

Vista Philharmonic Orchestra – Opening Night 2024

Groton Hill Music Center

### Event Description: Family Concert: Marvellous Musical Myths and Legends - The Hallé

**Date and Time:**  
Sunday, 29th September 2024, 3:00 PM

**Venue:**  
The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester

**Event Overview:**  
Join the Hallé for an enchanting family concert titled "Marvellous Musical Myths and Legends." This interactive event is designed to captivate audiences of all ages with a delightful blend of music and storytelling. 

**Programme Highlights:**  
- **John Williams:** Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: Hedwig's Theme
- **John Powell:** How to Train Your Dragon
- **Sibelius:** Lemminkäinen's Return
- **Mason Bates:** Anthology of Fantastic Zoology: A Bao A Qu
- **Copland:** Billy the Kid
- **Stravinsky:** The Firebird
- **Alan Silvestri:** The Avengers: Main Theme

**Special Features:**  
- **Presenter:** Tom Redmond
- **Conductor:** Euan Shields, Hallé Assistant Conductor and Hallé Youth Orchestra Music Director

**Pre-Concert Activities:**  
Arrive from 1:30 PM to enjoy free family activities in the foyer, including word searches, puzzles, and colouring, all inspired by the concert's theme.

**Ticket Information:**  
- **Family Ticket:** £49 (including fees)
- **Adults:** £23 (including fees)
- **Children (17 and under):** £13 (including fees)
- Concessions and discounts are available.

**Event Description:**  
Explore wonderful stories of myths and legends through music in a fun and interactive concert for the whole family. Listen in awe to "The Firebird," cast spells with Harry Potter, saddle up with Billy the Kid, save the day with The Avengers, and ride dragons to Berk—all in an afternoon’s work for the heroic Hallé.

**Booking Information:**  
Tickets are available for purchase now. Don't miss this magical musical journey!

**Contact and Additional Information:**  
For more details and to book your tickets, visit the Hallé's official website.

Family Concert: Marvellous Musical Myths and Legends

The Bridgewater Hall

Music Director Stéphane Denève opens the season with the dreams and passions of Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique, a work that tells the story of Berlioz’s obsession. Composer Mason Bates' new violin concerto, influenced by folk dances of Eastern Europe, is brought to energetic life by soloist Gil Shaham.

Enterprise Center

Classical Series Concert 1: Philharmonia Fantastique

Civic Auditorium Santa Cruz

Watsonville High School

Join the Virginia Symphony Orchestra (VSO) for an unforgettable Opening Weekend: Pictures at an Exhibition, marking a stunning start to the season. This musical journey through an art gallery, originally composed by Modest Mussorgsky and lushly orchestrated by Maurice Ravel, showcases the virtuosity of the orchestra in a way that's not to be missed. The event is set to take place on September 13, 2024, at 7:30 pm, under the baton of Eric Jacobsen, the VSO's twelfth Music Director.

The evening's program not only features Mussorgsky's evocative masterpiece but also includes Mason Bates’ Philharmonia Fantastique, a dazzling multimedia concerto for orchestra and animated film, and Valerie Coleman’s rousing concert opener, Fanfare for Uncommon Times. These pieces celebrate the talented VSO musicians and promise an evening of auditory splendor.

The concert will be held at the Ferguson Center for the Arts, offering a perfect setting for an evening of classical music. Whether you're a long-time classical music enthusiast or looking for an enriching cultural experience, this event promises to be a memorable highlight of the VSO’s 100th year of history.

Don't miss this opportunity to experience the power and beauty of live symphonic music. Secure your tickets now and be part of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra's centennial celebration.

Opening Weekend: Pictures at an Exhibition

Christopher Newport University

Town Center of Virginia Beach

Following the success of his performance in 2023, Gil Shaham returns to perform a new violin concerto by Mason Bates, one of today’s leading American composers. Led by Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska making her SPAC debut, the evening closes with her fellow countryman Jean Sibelius’s Symphony No. 5.

Gil Shaham Performs Bates

Join us at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center for an unforgettable evening as Gil Shaham performs Bates with The Philadelphia Orchestra on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, at 7:30 pm. Following his acclaimed performance in 2023, virtuoso violinist Gil Shaham returns to SPAC to present a new violin concerto by Mason Bates, one of the most innovative American composers of our time. The concert will be under the baton of Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska, who will be making her SPAC debut. The program will conclude with Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 5, promising a night of mesmerizing music.

The evening’s program includes:
- Bates: Nomad Concerto, for violin and orchestra
- Sibelius: Symphony No. 5

Performers for the night are Dalia Stasevska as the conductor and Gil Shaham on the violin, marking a SPAC debut for Stasevska.

Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the brilliance of Gil Shaham and the majestic sounds of The Philadelphia Orchestra at the SPAC Amphitheater. Secure your tickets now and be part of a musical journey that promises to be both exhilarating and deeply moving.

Legendary violinist Gil Shaham joins Yannick and The Philadelphia Orchestra in the Bravo! Vail premiere of Mason Bate’s explosive Nomad Concerto in a program that includes Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2.

Yannick Conducts Rachmaninoff 2024

Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater

Join us for an unforgettable evening of music as NEZÉT-SÉGUIN CONDUCTS RACHMANINOFF at the Bravo Vail, featuring the world-renowned Philadelphia Orchestra. This spectacular event will take place on Thursday, July 11, 2024, at 6pm at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater, a venue celebrated for its stunning location and acoustics.

The evening promises to be a highlight of the Orchestral Series, showcasing the legendary violinist Gil Shaham. Shaham will join forces with conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra for the Bravo Vail premiere of Mason Bates’ explosive Nomad Concerto. The program will also include Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, a masterpiece that continues to captivate audiences with its emotional depth and beautiful melodies.

Gil Shaham, known for his virtuosity and profound musicality, is the perfect soloist for Bates' Nomad Concerto, a piece that promises to take listeners on a thrilling auditory journey. Meanwhile, Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2, celebrated for its lush, romantic themes, will showcase the orchestra's ability to convey the composer's intense emotions and intricate compositions.

This event is not just a concert but a celebration of musical innovation and tradition, featuring works that span the spectrum from the romantic to the contemporary. Whether you are a lifelong classical music fan or new to the genre, this performance is sure to leave you moved and inspired.

Tickets are available now for this must-see event. Don’t miss your chance to experience the magic of NEZÉT-SÉGUIN, Gil Shaham, and the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater in Vail. Get your tickets today and prepare for an evening of breathtaking music that will resonate long after the final note has been played.

Nezét-séguin Conducts Rachmaninoff

Vail Recreation District Sports Department - Ford Park

Lahav Shani conducts Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique, a symphony that the composer premiered less than a week before his death and was later nicknamed for the passion and suffering it expresses. Daniil Trifonov takes the spotlight in former CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Mason Bates’ Piano Concerto, a journey through three stylistic sound worlds, from Renaissance dance music to Romantic-era brooding to a contemporary finale imbued with strains of jazz and minimalism.

Tchaikovsky Pathétique & Trifonov

Since the mysterious opening celesta melody of “Hedwig’s Theme” sounded in the first Harry Potter film, John Williams’ score has been inseparable in audiences’ minds from the magic and wonder of the beloved franchise. Each piece captures a character or idea, and Williams said that while he was composing, the enchanting themes all insisted on being “hatched” and “seemed to arrive all clamoring for their individual identities.” Gustavo Dudamel leads the LA Phil in a family friendly program featuring a Grand Suite from Harry Potter with a special guest narrator and selected film clips, as well as a musical journey through the orchestra guided by a magical Sprite. Described as a “concerto for orchestra and animated film,” Philharmonia Fantastique combines music by Mason Bates, direction by Gary Rydstrom, and animation by Jim Capobianco resulting in what John Williams praised as “the biggest step forward since Fantasia” in combining music and animation.

Dudamel Conducts Harry Potter

Walt Disney Concert Hall

The New Millennium Chamber Orchestra concludes its 11th Concert Season this April with “American Landscapes", a journey through music inspired by the urban and natural landscapes of the United States.

American Landscapes

First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto

Transfiguration Episcopal Church

Joan and Irwin Jacobs Music Center

Expect youthful optimism from Tchaikovsky’s favourite folk tunes and Bates’ Mothership, commissioned by the YouTube Symphony.

Tchaikovsky & Folksong

Winspear Centre

Fantastique! 53rd Young People’s Concerts

Quincy Junior High School

This interactive, educational and entertaining show introduces children of all ages to the instruments of the symphony orchestra, but it’s fun for adults, too!

Fantastique

Join CSO and Maestro Intriligator for a concert to eclipse all others! We welcome Cheyenne native Sarah Hartmann, actor & director, for “Music of the Spheres.” You’ll enjoy Holst’s The Planets, Floyd’s “Ain’t it a pretty night” from Susannah, sung by a local women’s chorus and Debussy’s classic, Claire de lune from Suite Bergamasque. Sponsored by Halladay Motors.  Guest Artist Underwritten by Harry & Lucie Osborn.

Holst's The Planets

Cheyenne Civic Center

Internationally-renowned conductor Leonard Slatkin has conducted virtually all leading orchestras in the world. We excitedly welcome him to the VSO to musically travel to sun-drenched Spain. Experience Richard Strauss’ ode to the legend of Don Quixote, with VSO Principal Cello Henry Shapard interpreting the role of the titular knight on cello, and VSO Principal Viola Hung-Wei Huang as Sancho Panza!

Spanish Adventures: Don Quixote

Orpheum Theatre

How can disparate elements create something new? Associate Conductor Jacob Joyce leads the Pittsburgh premiere of Mason Bates’ multi-media concerto Philharmonia Fantastique, fusing the creative vision of one of America’s leading composers with the technological brilliance of Skywalker Ranch film and sound professionals. The result is an incredible journey across mediums and into the heart of the orchestra.

Schooltime: Sound Fusion

Heinz Hall

Grammy® Award-winning violinist Gil Shaham returns to San Diego for the West Coast Premiere of Mason Bates’ Violin Concerto, an explosive work showcasing Bates’ masterful modern style. Music Director Rafael Payare leads this sonic expedition, which closes with Wagner’s Ring Without Words, an ingenious synthesis of the composer’s Ring cycle of operas, arranged by conductor Lorin Maazel. Ring Without Words invites listeners on an enchanting journey through the Rhine to Valhalla, soaring over hills, valleys and caves, with the flight of a Valkyrie.

Shaham Plays Bates’ Violin Concerto

Join us for Colorado Springs Philharmonic Pre-Concert talks. Go behind the curtain and inside the score with these 30-minute pre-concert conversations.

Beethoven

Pikes Peak Center for the Performing Arts

Join us for an enchanting evening with the Wenatchee Valley Symphony Orchestra as we present "Concert III: Con Animé" on February 24, 2024, at the Numerica Performing Arts Center. This unique concert experience brings together the magic of animation and the power of live orchestral music in a celebration of creativity and diversity.

The highlight of the evening is "Philharmonia Fantastique," a 25-minute concerto for orchestra and animated film. This innovative piece follows a magical Sprite on an extraordinary journey through the instruments of the orchestra, exploring the age-old connection between creativity and technology. Composed by Mason Bates, with Oscar-winning director and sound designer Gary Rydstrom and animation director Jim Capobianco, "Philharmonia Fantastique" imaginatively blends traditional and modern animation styles to guide the audience through a kinetic and cutting-edge guide to the orchestra. By the film's end, the orchestra demonstrates unity from diversity in a spectacular finale.

In addition to "Philharmonia Fantastique," the concert will feature music from other beloved animated features, including Paul Dukas's "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice" and Camille Saint-Saëns's "Carnival of the Animals." These pieces, featured in the animated features Fantasia and Fantasia 2000, add to the evening's celebration of the intimate relationship between music and animation.

"The Sorcerer’s Apprentice," inspired by the great German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, tells the story of a magician's apprentice who, in his master's absence, brings a broomstick to life with unforeseen consequences. "The Carnival of the Animals," a zoological-inspired suite by Saint-Saëns, offers a satirical and delightful journey through a series of musical vignettes.

Don't miss this extraordinary blend of animation and live orchestral music that promises to be a memorable experience for audiences of all ages. Tickets are available now for both live attendance and live streaming options. Join us as we celebrate the magic of music and animation in "Concert III: Con Animé."

Con Animé

Numerica Performing Arts Center

Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue

Duke Energy Center for the Arts

“A musical portrait of Stalin,” has described Shostakovich’s primarily oppressive and sinister Tenth Symphony, his first in five years after a Soviet denouncement of his music. Composer Daron Hagen touts the performance of electric guitarist D.J. Sparr on his Electric Guitar Concerto as a “joyous, celebratory romp.” Desert Transport portrays experiencing the sound sensations of a helicopter in flight.

Shostakovich & Six Strings

Kleinhans Music Hall

Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra is a GRAMMY® Award-winning, multi-media concerto from composer Mason Bates accompanying an animated film by a multi-Oscar-winning creative team. Guided by a magical Sprite, the families of instruments in the orchestra overcome their differences to demonstrate “unity from diversity” in a spectacular finale.

Shermerhorn Symphony Center

Please note: San Francisco will be hosting the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit this week. Street and highway closures will cause delays in transit into and out of the SFCM area. Please plan accordingly in attending our concerts this week, as we do hope to see you in the audience! For those of you who cannot make it to the concerts, SFCM will be livestreaming most concerts for the week.

Kristin Pankonin American Art Song Award Showcase

Bowes Center

Petrushka instantly drops us into another world; Stravinsky's orchestral classic is a wild torrent of vivid rhythms and charismatic vignettes, each more colorful than the last. Falla's delightful Three-Cornered Hat, on the other hand, introduces us to a hilarious love triangle. Celebrated cellist Joshua Roman plays a new concerto by Grammy Award-winning composer Mason Bates, who describes Roman as "beloved by just about everyone who meets him."

Stravinsky’s Petrushka

Orchestra Hall

The Pasadena Symphony opens the Classical Music season with Brett Mitchell leading the orchestra for Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 4 and Armenian violinist Diana Adamyan performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto. A Menuhin Competition winner,The Violin Channel has called Adamyan “one of the new generation’s most promising and gifted young concert soloists.”

Tchaikovsky 4

Honored as 2022's Classical Woman of the Year by Performance Today, American pianist Lara Downes has been called “a musical ray of hope” by NBC News and “an explorer whose imagination is fired by bringing notice to the underrepresented and forgotten” (The Log Journal). An iconoclast and trailblazer, her dynamic work as a sought–after soloist, a Billboard Chart–topping recording artist, a producer, curator, arts activist and advocate positions her as a cultural visionary on the national arts scene.

SFCM Orchestra with Lara Downes and Edwin Outwater

Music Director and Conductor Alexandra Arrieche and the Olympia Symphony invite you to appreciate our authentic selves and all the beautiful facets that shape who we are – as individuals and as members of our colorful communities. Join us as we envision a bright and radiant future, experience the ripple effect of kindness and belonging, expand our horizons, and embrace our uniquenesses.

Pakiam Song

Washington Center for the Performing Arts

The riveting cellist Joshua Roman plumbs the emotional depths of Elgar’s powerful Cello Concerto, a work of searing intensity and profound beauty. And Mason Bates’ Anthology of Fantastic Zoology brings a bevy of mythological creatures to life in a virtuosic showpiece.

Passion & Precision: Elgar's Cello Concerto

Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

Join us for an enchanting evening as the Monterey Symphony opens its current season with "VENTANA," a spectacular concert series taking place at the Sunset Center, Carmel. This musical journey begins on October 7, 2023, at 7:30 PM and concludes with a matinee performance on October 8, 2023, at 3:00 PM.

Under the baton of Music Director and Conductor Jayce Ogren, and featuring the extraordinary talents of cellist Joshua Roman, "VENTANA" promises to be a celebration of music that explores the rich tapestry of folk melodies and the imaginative landscapes of composers from around the globe. The program draws inspiration from the Ventana Wilderness, a symbol of natural beauty and mystery, mirroring the diverse and dynamic spirit of the compositions featured.

The evening will unfold with the following pieces, each a masterpiece in its own right:
- Mikhail Glinka's spirited "Overture to Russlan and Ludmilla"
- Percy Grainger's evocative "Colonial Song"
- Mason Bates' contemporary "Cello Concerto," with Joshua Roman as the soloist, showcasing a blend of American vernacular music including blues, jazz, and techno
- Aaron Copland's "Variations on a Shaker Melody," a homage to simplicity and elegance
- Béla Bartók's "Concerto for Orchestra," a vibrant showcase of the orchestra's talents

Joshua Roman, celebrated for his versatile musicianship and innovative approach to classical music, brings his unique flair to Bates' Cello Concerto, a piece that premiered with him as the soloist in 2014. His performance is anticipated to be a highlight of the evening, offering audiences a blend of expressive control and virtuoso flair.

"VENTANA" is not just a concert but a window into the soul of music, inviting audiences to explore the essence of folk traditions, the innovation of contemporary compositions, and the universal language of melody and rhythm. Don't miss this opportunity to experience the magic of the Monterey Symphony's new season. Secure your tickets now for a musical adventure that promises to be both enlightening and exhilarating.

Ventana

Sunset Center

Manhattan School of Music’s public programs are made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

MSM Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Slatkin

Manhattan School of Music

A device brought the world to our fingertips, connected us in unparalleled ways, and streamlined communication. But for the man behind the machine, life was far from streamlined.
The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, by acclaimed San Francisco composer Mason Bates and Pulitzer-winning librettist Mark Campbell, comes home to the place where it all began.

Under the baton of Michael Christie, Bates' score takes us on an operatic journey through the fragmented memory of love, betrayal, obsession and death, weaving together classical lyricism and a techno soundscape informed by the audio of early computers.

The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs

War Memorial Opera House

Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8

Sun Valley Pavilion

Aszure Barton’s Angular Momentum brings its notable Houston heritage to the stage once more. Barton pays homage to Space City with influences ranging from the city’s architecture depicted in the set design to the moon landing in the third movement of Mason Bates’ hybrid orchestral-electronic score, making this ballet an otherworldly experience. The program will also feature a new work by world-renowned choreographer Justin Peck, fresh off choreographing the Golden Globe winning musical West Side Story, marking his second work created on the Company. And with Stanton Welch’s Divergence, the popular, unexpected and explosive audience-favorite back as a complete work for the first time since 2012, this mixed repertoire program is sure to be a showstopper. 

Divergence

Wortham Theater Center

It’s easy to forget now, when the music seems so familiar, that composers throughout history have been innovators, producing music that startled, confounded and even shocked audiences of their day. So it’s entirely natural that one of the “disruptors” of 21st century classical music, Mason Bates, rubs shoulders with Franz Biber, Georg Muffat, and Johann Heinrich Schmelzer in this program. Known for his compositions which bring together the worlds of orchestral music and electronics, Mason’s new work for us is sure to be an unmissable opener to these concerts.
Muffat shared Mason’s love of combining unlikely bedfellows, known for combining contrasted national musical styles. In these season-closing concerts we hear his celebratory Mass, together with a selection of rich and multi-layered Sonatas by Biber and a wrenching lament for strings and continuo by Schmelzer.

From Muffat to Mason

First Congregational Church

War Memorial and Performing Arts Center

Stanford University

The highly anticipated performance of Beethoven’s majestic Symphony No. 9 is one of the most remarkable masterpieces that rejoices in the autonomy and conquest of the spirit over difficulty.

Beethoven’s Ode To Joy

Morris Performing Arts Center

Redwood Symphony features cellist Jonah Kim in the Bay Area premiere of Mason Bates’ virtuoso showcase.

Dances with Toys

All Systems GO! T-Minus 10 … 9… 8… Get ready for an exploratory mission of our solar system as the SLS presents an out-of-this-world program! Holst’s The Planets is the main event, each movement concentrating on the astrological, rather than astronomical significance of our solar system. 7… 6…5… Complementing this massive work will be two…

Anyone out There?

University of Utah

Join us for a lively film exploring the Orchestra as the OKCPHIL performs the soundtrack live.  Guided by a magical Sprite, see violin strings vibrate, brass valves slice air, and drum heads resonate.

Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra

Civic Center Music Hall

Composer and DJ Mason Bates returns to present Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra. This stunning new concerto and film created by Mason with multi-Oscar® winner Gary Rydstrom and celebrated animator Jim Capobianco, sees a magical Sprite fly through the instruments of the orchestra to explore the nexus of creativity and technology. Conductor Jason Seber leads one of Bernstein's glorious works from West Side Story, a beautiful ode to unity, Umoja, from composer Valerie Coleman and Mason Bates’ Soundcheck in C Major, the first piece played in The Rady Shell’s inaugural concert.

The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park

Teddy Abrams conducts Philharmonia Fantastique, a vivid and imaginative concerto for orchestra and animated film created by composer Mason Bates, Oscar-winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom (Jurassic Park, Titanic), and animator Jim Capobianco (Finding Nemo). Leonard Bernstein’s crowd-pleasing Symphonic Dances from West Side Story closes the program with Broadway panache.

Bates & Bernstein

When Mason Bates composed his Piano Concerto, he repeated a simple mantra to himself: <em>Let the soloist shine</em>. Bates could not have chosen a better partner for this SF Symphony Co-Commission and West Coast Premiere than the astoundingly dexterous pianist Daniil Trifonov. Led by Ruth Reinhardt in her SF Symphony debut, the program also includes Lotta Wennäkoski’s <em>Helsinki Variations</em> and Dvořák’s Symphony No. 5, a work beloved for its natural warmth, singing melodies, and beautiful pastoral scenes

Composer, Percussionist

Mason Bates

Events

Upcoming events

Apr 11, 2026

Copland’s Appalachian Spring · Louisville Orchestra

11 - 12 Apr, 2026

Masterworks 3: Bartok & de Falla · Marin Symphony

Apr 18, 2026

Time For Three Returns! · Sequoia Symphony Orchestra

1 - 3 May, 2026

The Miraculous Mandarin and Music of Bates · Nashville Symphony

9 - 10 May, 2026

Beethoven's Pastorale · Symphony San José

Past events

Mar 22, 2026

Voices Of America: The B-Sides · Symphonicity

Mar 15, 2026

Michigan Youth Symphonic Band / Philharmonia Orchestra / Symphony Orchestra Spring Performance · University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance

Future and recently performed repertoire

Percussion in Alternative Energy by Bates

Redwood Symphony

About

Mason Bates hasn't added a bio