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.
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4/17/2009
My First SEAMUS
Well, I'm at my very first SEAMUS. It was an interesting day. The whole thing is being held in scenic Fort Wayne, IN, at the Sweetwater central facility. It is a lot like the Google workplace, but smaller and with audiophiles running around. Neat.
I flew in this morning about an hour before my sound check. Scratch that, two hours before my sound check, but one hour before my sound check was scheduled. It seems to be traditional that SEAMUS concerts are both long and behind schedule. I have talked to many SEAMUS vets and they corroborate this trend. It doesn't really bother me, since I strive to be a patient person. What is unfortunate is to only get 3 minutes of tech time when someone else got about 40. Luckily my piece was low on complexity and we were able to get things started and checked in, like I said, 3 minutes.
My piece for flute and tape, Mercurial, was on the early afternoon concert. Lisa Bost, my performer, did a fantastic job. She drew out shapes and gestures in my work that I didn't know existed. That was all kinds of awesome. I got a few people telling me "great piece, lousy program note." I concur and will revise said note. And, even more important, find more venues for Lisa Bost. She plays a lot of great music for flute, is a devotee of the alto flute, so if you have, say, a 45 minute solo alto flute piece, she might want to see it.
The concerts all sound good, lots of good equipment and skillful tech hands. The quality of pieces is your typical "some great, some not, most are okay" blend that festivals like this seem to draw. Tomorrow is, as a woman once said, another day. I can go to two concerts before having to catch my plane. If anything of interest happens, I'll jump up and tell you about it.
posted by Jay C. Batzner
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