Growing up just outside of New Braunfels, Jason Geistweidt '93 enjoyed exploring his family's land. He spent quite a bit of his time searching the dry creek bed behind his house, where he often found arrowheads. Additionally, Geistweidt busied himself with painting, writing, music and drama--activities that he still enjoys today. He also made frequent trips to visit relatives in Mason, Texas, and Virginia. "I moved around a good deal and had a wide variety of experiences that stemmed from these trips," says Geistweidt.

Perhaps it was these early experiences that sparked his interest in traveling abroad. While at Southwestern, Geistweidt enrolled in the summer study abroad program and traveled to Spain. He notes, "I see now that the summer abroad was perhaps the most significant event of my Southwestern experience."

After returning to Spain in 2000, Geistweidt made the decision to pursue graduate studies in music composition in Europe. In 2002, he received his master's degree from the University of Limerick and he now studies at Queen's University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he will receive his Ph.D. in 2006.

At Queen's University, Geistweidt spends much of his time at the Sonic Arts Research Centre. Work at the Centre focuses primarily on music technology research. It is considered the premier institution of its type. In addition to teaching at Queen's this fall, Geistweidt will be working on his dissertation and completing his composition portfolio. When asked about his tenure at Queen's, he states, "I am very happy to be here, but when I complete my Ph.D., I will be ready to move on again. For, it is my desire to continually challenge my intellect."

Geistweidt came to Southwestern as an undergraduate seeking the intellectual challenge provided by "a wide variety of experience across a broad spectrum of knowledge." This essential element of the liberal arts canon would help provide the intellectual foundation for the person he wanted to become. He recalls, "In my application to Southwestern, I wrote something along the lines of 'I want to be a 20th century Renaissance man.'"

Some of Geistweidt's fondest memories from his time at Southwestern include conversations with his peers about politics, religion and art. "Most of what I learned from my Southwestern experience came from people. I believe that a quality university will bring together a diverse student background. Furthermore, it will engage that student body and compel that student body to engage itself. Coursework provides ideas, but," he says, "engaging those ideas, that is, thinking critically, comes from hours of conversations and high-octane coffee."

As an educator and composer, continuously conversing with and learning from others is important to Geistweidt. Having a liberal arts degree from Southwestern, he thinks, prepares alumni to be teachers outside the classroom. He explains, "I believe it is the unwritten charge of all Southwestern alumni to spread tolerance, patience, understanding and the desire for inquiry. This can happen anywhere: a boardroom in Houston, a rally in New York, a kitchen table in Pflugerville. Southwestern prepares you to enlighten the world and one should take advantage of it."

When not studying or teaching, Geistweidt tries to get outside, weather permitting. "It's not very sunny in Belfast, so when the sun is out we usually drop what we are doing and go to the park or fire up the grill," he notes. Being so close to continental Europe, he also travels as much as possible, noting, "There is an entire new world to be discovered here." Thus far he has visited Poland, France and Spain.

Upon graduating from Queen's, Geistweidt hopes to get away to Italy for six months and take advantage of the cuisine and much warmer climate. He also will work with a librettist on a new opera. He says, "I am at a point of transition, from academic to professional composer; my future is wide open."