The music of Mason Kaye spans genres and media to create a full palette of emotional support for works on the screen and beyond.  A native of San Francisco who grew up in Portland, Oregon, Mason’s passion for creating film music has consumed him since his early teens.  Unusual among his peers, he began not as a musician but as a composer, writing his first work at age 8.

 

Mason received his BA in Music with an emphasis in Composition from Occidental College in Los Angeles.  There he studied composition with Bruno Louchouarn, Andre Myers, & Jeffrey Bernstein, electronic music with Jennifer Logan, and conducting with Allen Gross.  Mason received his MFA in Music Composition for the Screen from Columbia College Chicago, studying composition with Hummie Mann, Andy Hill, Gary Chang, & David McHugh, and conducting with Allen Tinkham & Eimear Noone.   He has apprenticed with noted composers Steven Endelman and Christophe Beck.  

 

Mason has composed for film, television, chorales, solo and chamber ensembles, web content, as well as for theater.  Directors rely on Mason for his responsive attitude, rapid turnaround, and widely-ranging compositional skills.  They appreciate his professionalism, flexibility, and sense of humor.  He has scored shorts, featurettes, and feature films—across comedic, dramatic, horror, thriller, epic, and documentary genres.   He provides full-service music delivery, from ideation through composition, revision, and final version, to orchestration and recording (or sample-library-based delivery).  His skill, thoughtful nature, and dedication to the singularity of his work is notable in each of his projects.

 

Mason recently orchestrated and conducted a fellow composer’s feature film score at Capitol Studios.  More conducting credits include other session work at Capitol Studios, Hinge Studios, and Chicago Recording Company, as well as other chamber, choral, and orchestral concert works.  

 

Mason’s talents encompass composing, arranging, orchestrating, and performing.  He plays guitar and piano, uses a strong network of local musicians, and utilizes a broad sample library to produce full orchestrations of his compositions.  Having participated in the renaissance of the Occidental College Glee Club, he now sings bass with the Pasadena Master Chorale, and uses his extensive choral background in many of his projects.

 

Brides have asked Mason to provide original or arranged music for their weddings.  His work with a prominent classical guitarist, Montana’s Stuart Weber, has resulted in arrangements for guitar, duets, and string quartets performed in concert and on PBS.  

 

His honors include the Follett Fellowship at Columbia College Chicago and the Warren Composition Award at Occidental College.  As a high schooler, he was a finalist in a 2004 composition contest sponsored by Bill Conti.

 

Mason currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Julianna, a neonatal intensive care nurse, and their insane cats, Penelope and Ivy.