An outdoor recreation professor at Southern Utah University, Jason Burton, will perform live with Iron County Acoustic Music Association at 7 p.m. on Oct. 7 at the Community Presbyterian Event Hall. He will play roughly an hour and a half of music for the audience. The doors open at 6:30 for guests to find their seats before Burton kicks off the night.
Burton is new to the school, having moved to Cedar City in August to join the faculty. However, he shared that he is not new to the local audience and has actually performed in Iron County before.
“This is my second show with ICAMA, and I’m glad that there’s an organization in town that provides a venue for local acoustic based artists and brings in some great talent from the region,” Burton said. “They’re also good people who love music, and it shows!”
ICAMA is a non-profit organization and presents monthly concerts that the public can attend freely. However, they do accept donations, and the suggested amount for Burton’s event is five dollars. Burton isn’t in it for the money, though.
“Art is meant to be shared, so I enjoy being able to share my songs with audiences when I get the chance,” Burton said.
While music appears entirely disconnected from his work, Burton feels a strong connection between the two.
“I am very passionate about teaching outdoor recreation and about our relationship with the natural world, but I also am passionate about music and songwriting,” Burton shared. “Both of them allow me to use my creativity—in lesson planning, curriculum development, and in writing melodies and lyrics. I have a need to create, and both teaching and music are crafts that require work to improve.”
Burton is very excited to not only show off his talents in this new community but also improve his craft as a teacher and become more connected with the school.
Story by: Kale Nelson
kalehnelson@gmail.com
Photos courtesy of Jason Burton
