Hello! Thanks for stopping by my website, I hope this message finds you well. My name is Keaton, I’m a composer and performer based in Athens, Georgia. I graduated from Florida State University in 2023 with my Master’s in Music Composition and Theory. I graduated from Baylor University in the Spring of 2021 with my Bachelor’s in Music Composition. I am currently pursuing a DMA in Music Composition degree (with a Minor in Music Theory) at the University of Georgia along with teaching undergraduate courses in music.
I’ve been writing music since around my sophomore year of high school. I’ve been in French horn lessons and piano lessons for several years, played with the Baylor Wind Ensemble and Baylor Symphony Orchestra during my time at Baylor. I’ve also been a part of the Baylor Concert Jazz Band on piano. While in Waco you could find me on the weekends at St. Mary’s Catholic Church playing piano for the weekend Masses.
I enjoy composing all kinds of music, but as a former French horn player I have come to especially appreciate instrumental music. However, as a piano player, I have also come to appreciate the art of improvisation. Improvisation has gradually become my number-one way to pass time and relax. It’s a great way to release pent-up emotions and de-stress, and I would highly recommend it. My musical inspirations are always in flux, but right now I’m really enjoying the music of Prokofiev, Joseph Schwantner, and Snarky Puppy.
Some other things I really enjoy doing is going for bike rides, going on hikes, playing GeoGuessr, listening to the good ol’ classics (Steely Dan, ELO, Van Halen, Asia, and Foreigner are among my favorites), chatting about nerdy music theory things with my friends, and learning about geography, cartography, and meteorology.
You can find a more "official" biography below.
Keaton Marek (b. 1998) is a DMA student and teaching assistant at the University of Georgia. Marek holds a Master’s of Music Composition and Theory degree from Florida State University and a Bachelor’s of Music Composition degree from Baylor University. Marek is currently studying composition with Peter Van Zandt Lane. His previous composition instructors include Liliya Ugay, Clifton Callender, Scott McAllister and Ben Johansen. Marek has studied horn with Kristy Morrell, Jeffrey Powers, Paul Capehart, and Alton Adkins. Marek has also studied piano with Dr. Jani Parsons. While at Baylor, Marek was a member of the Baylor Symphony Orchestra, Baylor Wind Ensemble, and Baylor Horn Studio.
Marek has had performances and premieres of his works at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas, Texas UIL Concert and Sight-reading Contests, Jones Concert Hall at Baylor University, International Horn Symposium, and other locations. One of Marek’s more recent works, Invocation for Eight Horns, was selected as the winner of the 2020 International Horn Society Composition Contest. Another one of his more recent works, Procession to the Skies, was a winner of the Dallas Winds Brass Fanfare Competition and was performed by the brass and percussion of the Baylor University Wind Ensemble. Along with large ensemble works, he has also written several pieces for smaller chamber groups and for solo instruments, as well as collaborating with film students in creating scores for their films. After his studies at the University of Georgia, Marek plans to pursue a career as a music educator in higher education. He would love the opportunity to be a professor of music composition in order to help shape the future generation of great musicians, artists, and creators.