Jay C. Batzner is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Central Florida where he teaches theory, composition, and technology courses as well as coordinates the composition program. He holds degrees in composition and/or theory from the University of Missouri – Kansas City, the University of Louisville, and the University of Kansas.
Jay's music is primarily focused around instrumental chamber works as well as electroacoustic composition. His music has been recorded on the Capstone, Vox Novus, and Beauport Classical labels and is published by Unsafe Bull Music.
Jay is a sci-fi geek, an amateur banjoist, a home brewer, and juggler.
I'm back on the cause of rejection letters. I got a great one today from Keys to the Future:
"Dear Dr. Batzner,
Thank you very much for sending your very interesting (and well-played) 'Toccata' and 'Deconstructionist Preludes' for review. There were many strong compositions (yours among them) submitted for consideration for only a few spaces in the Keys to the Future Festival, and although yours were not chosen for performance this time around, we very much appreciate your sending us your music, and would like to wish you continued good fortune in your creative life.
Sincerely,
Joseph Rubenstein Executive and Artistic Director Keys to the Future"
You see? This is a great email. It could be a mail merge. The tone of the email is so personal, though, that I don't believe it is a form letter. It also came in a timely manner (I sent the stuff on January 10). The letter leaves me with the feeling that they really looked at and seriously considered my music, even if my pieces just bounced off of them like so many peanut shells against the wall (sorry, I'm having analogy troubles this morning).
I wish they could all be like that. Except, you know, the not programming my music part.
posted by Jay C. Batzner
2/28/2008
Double Dose of Doubles
Today is the anniversary of the Unsafe Bull Podcast!
We've been celebrating with daily guest variations, but today we get 4 variations. Two this morning by David Morneau, two this afternoon by David McIntire. Check them all out right here.
Tomorrow I start clogging your bandwidth for a second straight year! Wa-hoo.
posted by Jay C. Batzner
2/26/2008
I love it when this happens - Updated!
So I got an email out of the blue from an old buddy from my University of Louisville days (1998-2000, aka The Bourbon Years). He told me that he saw a flyer for a concert featuring percussion music "by Russell Peck, Lou Harrison, Kyle Gann, and Jay Batzner."
This is news to me, and in a good way. Not too sure what piece they are talking about and I'm rather stunned at the company my music is keeping. For a second there, I seem like a Real Composer instead of a hideous impostor lurking in the nether regions of the United States.
If any of you know more about this concert, I'd love to hear it. In the mean time, I'm going to work in my office and pretend I'm famous for the next hour or so. UPDATE: it is the performance of my Concerto for Timpani by the University of Kentucky Percussion Ensemble. I did know about that one. Cool stuff!
And, okay, who are we kidding, as far as I'm concerned The Bourbon Years haven't stopped yet. I'll let a musicologist determine when it's over.
Last thing: new Mancala Guest! Jason Bolte puts the Comb Filter of Love (TM) on the samples.
posted by Jay C. Batzner
Friday, the final cut of my own Mancala Variations!
Next week? Who knows.
posted by Jay C. Batzner
2/13/2008
Party hats
Okay, on this date in 2005, I started blogging. Originally, I used iBlog and published all kinds of meaningless drivel to my own website. After a while, though, I turned pro. Now I put meaningless drivel where unsuspecting readers might actually find it.
Hoo-ray!
Life has been way to busy to describe, lately, which I find peculiarly ironic. When I started blogging, I really had nothing to say. And I would do so three times a day, in some cases. Now that I'm busy as hell, running around like a madman, and have more things going on than I can count, I rarely report on them. There should be something profound there, but there isn't.
Tonight is my second electroacoustic concert series of the academic year. Here is the lineup (if you are in Orlando, come check it out). Everything is voice/text/word based. I think it is going to be a hoot, but I am pretty easy to entertain.
The Temptation in the Wilderness by David D. McIntire Speech Songs by Charles Dodge Love Song by Paul Rudy Notjustmoreidlechatter by Paul Lansky Song Cycle for Haruki Murakami by Matt Dotson (music) and Bart Woodstrup (video) Mouth by Patrick Peringer and Josh Kalichman
I deliberately didn't put anything by myself on there, even though I have 2 pieces that fit. I'll save that stuff for my own recital on March 4. I think I'll do the premiere of the Mancala Variations then. Again, if you are in town, stop by. And you don't have to sleep on the futon anymore. We have a twin bed and a comfy pop-up now.
Next post: My 60x60 project piece is too creepy for me to handle. Is that good or bad?
posted by Jay C. Batzner
2/04/2008
Guest variations
My podcast is currently doing a "theme and variations" thing. I made a theme from sounds of my mancala game board and starting composing variations on that theme. I'll stop soon, I promise, but I wanted to get the Wise and Learned Internet's contribution first.
Here is the deal: Go to my website and select the Mancala Samples page. Download as many of those things as you would like, make a media piece out of it, and send it to me (my email is on my bio page). I'll put it up on the podcast during March to celebrate my first year of podcasting. If I get a lot, I might even make an installation of the whole project sometime.
At any rate, these pieces should be free for distribution. I will not pursue any commercial applications of these pieces. This is just meant to be a fun experience and a means of getting lots of sounds flowing around the universe. If you want to use my samples in any commercial work, you are free to do so. They are also up on the Freesound Archive. Use them, dismiss them, do whatcha like with them.
That is all there is to it. Have fun with the sounds.
posted by Jay C. Batzner
2/01/2008
No.
I've mentioned before that I'm okay with rejection. Yes, it bums me out, but I understand it and don't take it too personally. My latest gripe about rejection, though, is that many opportunities I've sent things to do not send me a rejection letter. WTF? I put a considerable amount of time into printing scores, making a CD, writing a grant proposal, whatever. The least they could do is put together a friggin' mail merge and slap a letter in the mail. Or a bulk email with "thanks, but no thanks."
I crave closure. I sent in a proposal for an opportunity in August. The guidelines say that notification of awards would be on January 31. Well, today is February. No email, no mail, no nothing. I assume that I didn't get selected. Is it so hard for them to tell me themselves? Another opportunity didn't have a hard deadline but I did find out when they wanted things to happen. By now, I should have heard something. I'm pretty sure that means that they are not interested in my work, but again, nothing definite.
When I was applying for jobs, I was amazed at the number of positions that just never contacted me. My applications would fall into a void and, after filling out the AA/EOE form, I would simply never hear from them again. At least 20% of my job applications (10 out of 50) ended with absolutely nothing. That, my friends, is rude and inexcusable. People work hard in creating applications and portfolios. Respect that and tell them "Thank you for applying. We aren't interested at this time."
I think if you are going to offer an opportunity, a performance, or a job, the very least you can do is tell everyone of their status when a decision has been reached. No, we aren't going to perform your music. No, you did not get this commission. No, you did not get this job. It doesn't have to be cutesy, like Anti-Social Music's rejection letters (mine came with a jambalaya recipe) or insightful like my rejection from Frogpeak a few years back. A simple, single sentence rejection letter is fine with me. It shows that you cared about the time and effort that went into my proposal, even if it isn't what you wanted.
posted by Jay C. Batzner
