Iain Masson (born Dundee, 1981) is a Scottish composer, conductor, pianist and music educator whose career spans performance, composition and musical direction.
As a playing member of the National Youth Brass Bands of Scotland and Arbroath Instrumental Band, Iain began his professional career at just 16, when he was appointed Resident Pianist at the Swallow Hotel in Dundee.
In 1999, he moved to England to study at the School of Composition and Creative Studies at Birmingham Conservatoire. Alongside his studies, he conducted local music ensembles and undertook private conducting tuition with the distinguished conductor Richard Evans. During tuition with principal tutor Professor John Mayer, at the age of 21, Iain’s music was performed by the Brodsky Quartet in a live BBC Radio 3 broadcast from BBC Broadcasting House.
Following his studies in Birmingham, Iain received Scottish Government funding to undertake a Postgraduate Diploma at the Royal Northern College of Music. During his time at the RNCM, he was awarded the Alan Rawsthorne Composition Prize in 2005 and was commissioned to write a 5-minute companion piece for Stravinsky's 'A Soldier's Tale', which was premiered at the Bridgewater Hall by the RNCM New Ensemble in the prestigious RNCM gala concert.
Iain’s compositions have been performed at venues across the UK and Europe, including Regent Hall and King’s Place in London, The Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building in Oxford, Brighton Corn Exchange, The Octagon at Queen Mary University of London, the Italian Cultural Institute in Stockholm and the Royal Swedish Opera.
His awards and distinctions include the RNCM Alan Rawsthorne Composition Prize, the Evelyn Forbes Ruark Memorial Scholarship for Solo Piano Performance, the Dr and Mrs William Christie Piano Trio Rosebowl, the Miss K. H. McLauchlan Cup for Piano Performance and the Dr Kenneth Ruark Memorial Award for Citizenship.
In 2015, Iain was conferred with Honorary Membership of Birmingham Conservatoire (HonBC), recognising his services to music in the decade following his graduation. In 2023, he was awarded Fellowship of the Guild of Musicians and Singers, presented at a ceremony at Regent Hall in London.
