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Artist: Mason Bates

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Mason Bates:

Philharmonia Fantastique w/Chicago Symphony

Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra is a 25-minute concerto for orchestra & animated film that flies through the instruments of the orchestra to explore the age-old connection of creativity and technology. Philharmonia Fantastique is a collaboration between composer and DJ Mason Bates, Oscar-winning director and sound designer Gary Rydstrom, and animator Jim Capobianco. 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 overcomes its differences to demonstrate “unity from diversity” in a spectacular finale.

Premiered in the 2021-2022 season, the work was commissioned by Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and the American Youth Symphony. The work received support from the Sakurako Foundation, the John & Marcia Goldman Foundation, and the Paul S. Sekhri Family Foundation.