The creative minds behind Batavia’s signature Art In Your Eye, a summer festival of all things visual, next will celebrate the ear with their second amateur songwriting contest capped by a concert in October.

Instead of overlapping the visual arts lineup, its new fall date keeps it from getting overshadowed, said Becky Hoag, festival coordinator.

“It’s nice to have something later to keep the festival going year round,” she said. “It helps support financially the whole Art In Your Eye. (The contest) is just the extension of encouraging people to explore the arts. It is truly the mission of Art In Your Eye and now Art In Your Ear to not only bring professionals out to get involved, but to also encourage everyone to explore their artistic side and find the right area for them to express it.”

This year’s contest has tweaked the song categories, and added the participation of 95.9 The River radio station, whose morning drive host Scott Mackay will be master of ceremonies for the October recital. Last year’s inaugural contest drew such a large audience to O’Brien’s Pub & Grill in Batavia that the event has moved to the larger setting of Shannon Hall.

Songs will be judged solely on their merits, and the quality of their live performance is not part of the judging criteria.

Songwriters who prefer not to perform solo, or not to play at all, will have a band and vocalists — make that Earchestra — at their disposal thanks to Hix Bros. Music, said Andrew Hix, one of the siblings operating store locations in Batavia and Aurora.

The Hix family helped decide on the contest’s musical genres and the criteria for judging by a panel of professional musicians.

“I’m a drummer,” Andrew Hix said of the Earchestra members. “Carl and Peter (Hix) play guitar, and (staffer) Bill Mickelberg plays bass.”

He said rehearsals with songwriters who opt for their backup will use the rehearsal space at the store’s Aurora location.

“Everybody was really supportive of everybody else,” he recalls of last year’s recital by finalists. “It was a great atmosphere.”

Helping organize the event is Paul Wieland, who said, “We were very excited to learn that as a result of the (first) contest, many of the songwriters decided to form a networking group that meets regularly to share ideas and help each other further develop their writing skills.”

Batavia city administrator Bill McGrath, an artist and musician himself, has lent not only the town’s support to the event, but lent an ear.

Visitors at Art In Your Eye couldn’t miss the giant ear sculpture McGrath created to hover over the summer festival’s outdoor Art In Your Ear stage.

And the ear rules when it comes to the contest keepsakes that will be awarded in addition to cash and other prizes. Keep an eye peeled for the “coveted” plaster ear trophies.


If you compete

What: Art In Your Eye presents an amateur songwriting contest, capped by a concert of finalists’ songs.

Five categories: Pop/Rock; Country/Cowboy; Folk/Protest; Hip-hop/Rap; and Christian/Gospel/Inspirational. 

Deadline and rules: The new deadline for the Art In Your Ear contest is Friday, Sept. 12, and rules, entry form and list of prizes appear at artinyourear.com. Entry forms also are available at the sponsors’ locations and from Batavia’s city offices, 100 N. Island Ave.

Concert: 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at Shannon Hall in Batavia’s East Side Community Center, 14 N. Van Buren St.

Judging: The entries of three finalists in each category will be sung at the recital, although performance does not play into judging, nor does the quality of the submitted contest recording. Winners and the Grand Prize for Song of the Year will be announced at the finals.

Sponsors: Hix Bros. Music will serve as lead sponsor, joined by 95.9 The River, with O’Brien’s Pub & Grill providing catered food and bar service at the venue for the finals and gift certificates for runners-up.