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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4/23/2008
Pre-Reviews
Ok, I'm starting to get some reviews from one of my compositions. The great part is that I haven't even finished the piece yet! Here are some initial reactions to my solo marimba suite (in progress) tentatively titled Songs of my Youth.
from Ryan Churchill, longtime friend and band, erm, Wind Ensemble director:
"You and I both are probably headed for hell anyway, this just puts you on the fast track."
from Heidi Parker, my sister:
"Shame on you! Shame! Shame! Bow your head in shame!!!"
Strong stuff, eh? The thing about Songs is that each movement is an abstraction from some early 80s pop tune. They are incredibly fun pieces to write. I don't know if they are fun to listen to but based on these reactions I think I am going in the right direction.
I almost forgot to mention the tunes:
1. Come on Eileen
2. Don't Dream it's Over
3. Careless Whisper (which yielded the above comments)
4. Always Something There to Remind Me
5. Take on Me
posted by Jay C. Batzner
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