Quinn Mason (b. 1996) is a composer and conductor based in Dallas, Texas. Quinn has been described as “a brilliant composer just barely in his 20s who seems to make waves wherever he goes.” (Theater Jones) and “One of the most sought after young composers in the country” (Texas Monthly).
His orchestral music has received performances in the US by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Utah Symphony Orchestra, Toledo Symphony Orchestra, Akron Symphony Orchestra, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, South Bend Symphony Orchestra, National Youth Orchestra of the United States (NYO), Marquette Symphony Orchestra, New England Conservatory Philharmonia, National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic, Symphoria, MusicaNova Orchestra, Oregon Mozart Players, Orchestra Seattle, the River Oaks, Mission and Lowell chamber orchestras and in Europe by the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI.
His compositions for winds has been performed by the Cobb Wind Symphony, Metropolitan Winds, and bands of Southern Methodist University, University of North Texas, Texas Christian University, Penn State, Purdue University, University of Minnesota, and Northern Illinois University, as well as other bands throughout the United States and Canada.
His chamber music has been performed by the Voices of Change, loadbang, MAKE trio, Atlantic Brass Quintet, and the Cézanne, Julius and Baumer string quartets and his solo music has been championed by distinguished soloists such as David Cooper (principal horn, Chicago Symphony), Holly Mulcahy (concertmaster, Wichita Symphony) and Jordan Bak and Michael Hall (viola soloists).
A multiple prize winner in composition, he has received numerous awards and honors from such organizations as the American Composers Forum, Voices of Change, Texas A&M University, ASCAP, the Dallas Foundation, Dartmouth College Wind Ensemble, the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra of New York, the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, the Heartland Symphony Orchestra and the Arizona State University Symphony Orchestra. In 2020, Quinn was honored by the Dallas Morning News as a finalist for ‘Texan of the Year’.
Quinn has studied composition with Dr. Lane Harder at the SMU Meadows School of the Arts, Dr. Winston Stone at University of Texas at Dallas and has also worked with renowned composers David Maslanka, Jake Heggie, Libby Larsen, David Dzubay and Robert X. Rodriguez.
As a conductor, Quinn has guest conducted Orchestra Seattle and the MusicaNova Orchestra. Quinn studied conducting at the National Orchestral Institute with Marin Alsop and James Ross, and with Miguel Harth-Bedoya (Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra) and Will White (Orchestra Seattle). He also counts Richard Giangiulio (Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra), Edwin Outwater (San Francisco Conservatory) and John Axelrod (City of Kyoto Symphony Orchestra) as mentors.
Upcoming performances will be by the Utah, Memphis, Mesquite, South Bend, Boca Raton, Syracuse, Fort Dodge, Canton, Silicon Valley and West Virginia symphony orchestras and Houston Ballet Orchestra. Upcoming guest conducting appearances include concerts with the DISD All City Orchestra and Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra.
An avid and passionate writer, Quinn maintains his own classical music blog and contributes guest articles to other blogs. Quinn is a member of ASCAP and the Conductor’s Guild. He is professionally represented by Cadenza Artists.