THE STORY BEHIND: Mason's "A Joyous Trilogy"

On October 15, Tania Miller and the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra will present STERLING ELLIOTT with cellist Sterling Elliott.
THE STORY BEHIND: A Joyous Trilogy
Title: A Joyous Trilogy
Composer: Quinn Mason (1996- )
Last time performed by the Rhode Island Philharmonic: This is a RI Philharmonic Orchestra premiere. This piece is scored for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp and strings.

Quinn Mason is pursuing a dual career as composer and conductor. He studied composition at the Southern Methodist University Meadows School of the Arts and at the University of Texas at Dallas. He has also worked closely with such well-recognized American composers as Robert X. Rodriguez and Libby Larsen. Mason studied conducting at the National Orchestral Institute with Marin Alsop and James Ross, and also with seven others prominent in the field.

As a composer, Mason has been remarkably prolific, often working on commission. The largest part of his catalog is devoted to music for symphony orchestra. However, he is also represented in the spheres of chamber music and various wind ensembles. His music has won numerous awards, notably from the American Composers Forum, ASCAP, the Dallas Foundation, Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble, and the National Flute Association. He has also dedicated some works to youth orchestras, such as the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York and the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra.

Mason dedicated A Joyous Trilogy to Will White, “a friend and mentor for many years now, and one of the most joyous people I know!” About the music the composer writes that he wanted to create: 

. . . a composition that was the very embodiment of happiness and cheerfulness, an accessible work that would put any listener in a good mood. The first movement, “Running” is so called because of its always-moving and seemingly never-waning energy that keeps going and going. The second, “Reflection,” is a gentle and introspective meditation featuring a solo trombone. The third, “Renewal,” picks the energy back up, but a little more spirited and zestful this time, and keeps it going to the very end, complete with dynamic and vibrant interplay between all the orchestral sections.

Program Notes by Dr. Michael Fink © 2022 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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