American pianist Jacob Mason leapt onto the classical music scene in 2013, when he performed Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto no. 1 with the New World Symphony alongside conductor Joshua Gersen. Since then, he has played with numerous orchestras, and in some of the world’s premiere halls. He has been invited to perform at the Miami International Piano Festival Academy, Piano Lab in Martina Franca, Kaleidoscope MusArt, Tzlil Meudcan in Tel Aviv, and the Birmingham New Music Festival. He is the winner of the second prize at the 9th annual John Cage Award in Halberstadt, Germany.
Critics have praised his “daunting technique and expertise.” He has been called “clearly a talented player with a penchant for offbeat and demanding repertoire,” and has been lauded for his “rock-solid technique and attention to detail.” George Grella wrote of his Carnegie Hall debut, “Mason’s playing was exceptional, with dazzling fingerwork and an ear for phrasing.”
The son of two composers, he has been an active member of the global new music community. He has performed in various theatrical productions, including “Senza Ora” at Gare du Nord and “Abteilung Leben,” a production of Christoph Marthaler at Theater Basel. He has founded many chamber groups, including the Escape Ensemble in Seaside, FL, and has performed with SOYUZ and Ensemble Lemniscate in Switzerland. In 2020 he founded Ex-Sentia, along with percussionist Miguel Fernández and percussionist Santiago Villar. In the past few years, Ex-Sentia has commissioned and premiered new works by various important composers throughout Europe and the US. In 2023 they were asked to play the closing concert of the Impuls Festival Graz.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1998, Jacob currently holds a Master of Arts degree from the Hochschule für Musik Basel, where he studied with Claudio Martinez Mehner. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree from the Frost School of Music where he studied with Kevin Kenner. He previously spent two years studying at the New England Conservatory in Boston. In addition to the piano, he has studied harpsichord and continuo at the Schola Cantorum.
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