The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts to Present RAVISHMENT

Kennedy Center Composer-in-Residence Mason Bates continues his reinvention of the traditional concert experience with the next event in his second season of the KC Jukebox series: the dreamlike world of Ravishment, Monday, January 30, 2017, at 7:30 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Atrium.

In Ravishment, the Second Quartet by John Adams, in celebration of the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer's 70th birthday, anchors an eclectic program that also includes a piece by one of Adams's students, Gabriella Smith's intriguing Carrot Revolution; two works entitled Ravishmentand Drama/Self Pity by acclaimed composer and vocalist Lisa Bielawa, who joins the performance; Chris Cerrone's eerie electronica-tinged soundscape The Night Mare; and Ellébore, a whimsical dream evocation by the innovative young composer David Hertzberg. The performance is conducted by rising star maestro Fawzi Haimor. Following the concert, DJ Moose will keep the music spinning at a free after party.

Using a mix of cutting-edge technology and dynamic electro-acoustic palettes-and bringing together forward-thinking instrumentalists, vocalists, and DJs from Washington and beyond-KC Jukebox spotlights the works of living composers as filtered through Bates's signature re-imagining of the classical music concert experience. Following the success of October's Mercury Soul, the 2016-2017 season of KC Jukebox also includes a concert headlined by Angolan-born composer and instrument builder Victor Gama (Wednesday, February 22, 2017); a performance by the superstar chorus Chanticleer, which includes the world premiere of a co-commissioned work by Bates (Tuesday, May 2, 2017); and the Kennedy Center debut of the legendary local DJ collective Thievery Corporation (two shows on Monday, May 15, 2017).

Mason Bates and his work will be spotlighted in other areas of the Kennedy Center during the 2016-2017 season. The National Symphony Orchestra will perform three of Bates's works: the electronica-influenced Liquid Interface on April 20-22, 2017, conducted by Cristian Ma?elaru;Garages of the Valley, an all-acoustic celebration of Silicon Valley's tech visionaries, in performances June 8-10, 2017, led by Edo de Waart; and a new commissioned work celebrating the life of President John F. Kennedy on the occasion of the centennial of the President's birth, presented on May 24, 2017.

TICKET INFORMATION

Ravishment takes place on Monday, January 30, 2017 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Atrium. Tickets are $20 and are on sale now at the Kennedy Center box office, by calling Instant-Charge at (202) 467-4600 or toll-free (800) 444-1324, or through the Kennedy Center website. For all other ticket-related customer service inquiries, call the Advance Sales Box Office at (202) 416-8540.

ABOUT MASON BATES

Mason Bates joined the Kennedy Center in the 2015-2016 season as its first Composer-in-Residence and was recently nominated for two 2017 Grammy Awards®. A contemporary composer grounded in both the fundamentals of classical music and electronica, he tackles broad, creative themes, moving the orchestra into the digital age and dissolving the boundaries of traditional symphonic music. His award-winning compositions combine an expanded orchestral palette, often including electronic sounds with large-scale, imaginative narrative forms that incorporate topics ranging from earthquakes to energy.

Frequently performed by orchestras large and small, his symphonic music has received widespread acclaim and is championed by leading conductors such as Michael Tilson Thomas, Riccardo Muti, and Leonard Slatkin. In 2012, he was awarded the Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities, and in 2014 was named the second most-performed living composer by symphony orchestras.

Mason Bates moves fluidly between two distinct musical worlds, with one foot in prestigious symphony halls and the other in late-night dance clubs, where he deejays. He brings these two worlds together not only with his electro-acoustic compositions, but also through his efforts to introduce new music to new venues. His classical/club project, Mercury Soul, integrates classical performances into an evening of DJing in alternative spaces and has attracted large crowds to events created for the Chicago, San Francisco, and New World symphonies.

Bringing classical music to new audiences is a central part of Bates's activities as a curator. With composer Anna Clyne, he has transformed the Chicago Symphony's MusicNOW series into an imaginative concert experience, drawing huge audiences with cinematic program notes and immersive stagecraft.

Bates recently served as the Mead Composer-In-Residence with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which in 2012 performed his Alternative Energy under Riccardo Muti on the opening night of Carnegie Hall's fall season. He also maintains deep relationships with the San Francisco Symphony, which recently completed a three-week Beethoven and Bates Festival; and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, where he recently served as Composer of the Year.

Mason Bates was raised in neighboring Virginia, and his early musical education was shaped by frequent visits to the Kennedy Center. With the future in mind, he looks to continue expanding his musical contributions and explore composition in the realms of theater, opera, and film.

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