Mason Bates Returns to American Academy Rome for Soundscapes

The American Academy in Rome will host Soundscapes, a live set by composer and DJ Mason Bates, on May 10, 2024, in its outdoor garden pavilions. The event is part of the Festival delle Accademie e degli Istituti di Cultura stranieri, which opened with the Expodemic exhibition at Palazzo delle Esposizioni. Bates, a former fellow in musical composition at the Academy in 2004, is now an internationally renowned musician. On May 9, 2024, he will attend the Italian premiere of his Piano Concerto at the Auditorium di Roma, performed by pianist Daniil Trifonov with the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Jakub Hrůša. The program also includes Gershwin's Cuban Overture and Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances. For Soundscapes, Bates will DJ alongside electronic music figures including Italo-Ivorian producer and DJ Ehua, DJs Mey Gehnyei and Palm Win, artist Polysick, and Simone Bertuzzi. Bates's work explores the intersection of music and technology, exemplified by his Grammy-winning opera The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Supported by conductors Riccardo Muti and Marin Alsop, his symphonic music integrates electronic sounds. A recent survey named him the second most performed composer of his generation in the United States.