Jay C. Batzner (b. 1974) is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida where he teaches music composition and technology courses as well as coordinates the composition program. In his first year, Jay received two prestigious grants: one to create collaborative works with visual artist Carla Poindexter and the second to initiate electroacoustic music concerts in Orlando. Prior to this position, Jay was an active adjunct professor at several colleges in the Kansas City area while he completed his D.M.A. in Composition at the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory. While at UMKC, Jay received honors including a Distinguished Dissertation Fellowship and a Dean's Doctoral Scholar Fellowship.
Jay's music ranges from instrumental chamber works to electroacoustic compositions. He has participated in numerous national and international festivals including the Wellesley Composers Conference and the International Young Composers' Meeting in the Netherlands. His music is published by Unsafe Bull Music and has been recorded on the Capstone and Vox Novus labels. Jay is a frequent contributor to the new music website Sequenza21.com and a founding member of the composers organization The Collected.
Jay is a sci-fi geek, an amateur banjoist, a home brewer, and juggler.
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3/03/2008
The LSU percussion ensemble
Friday I was fortunate to have my Concerto for Timpani performed at the College Music Society SuperRegional Conference at Louisiana State University. Brett Dietz conducted his percussion ensemble Hamiruge with guest soloist Shawn Galvin, principal timpanist with the Navy band in D.C. They gave an amazing performance and I want you all to know about it.
LSU is having a lot of renovations done to a building and it required the percussionists be housed across campus from the recital hall. I saw about 5 trucks make several trips to bring in the 5 timpani, 2 marimbas, vibes, chimes, and other stuff needed for my piece. Lots of schlepping for a 10 minute work. And, due to circumstance beyond everyone's control, a graduate student stepped up and learned the vibe part in about 90 minutes. My piece is, as you might have guessed, not something that comes together with 90 minutes of sight-reading time. Yet this performer was able to pull it together and give a convincing performance at, quite literally, the 11th hour.
Shawn's solo performance was amazing. He really commanded the stage, connecting with the ensemble when he should have and also ignoring the ensemble when necessary. Shawn dripped and exuded talent and musicality and I appreciated him traveling all that way to play my piece.
Anyhow, amazing performances, talented folks, a great conference overall. I had to share!
posted by Jay C. Batzner
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