Born and raised in western Massachusetts, Jazer Giles returned to the area to compose, teach, and perform music after receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in both physics and music from Skidmore College in 2002. In May 2015 he received a Master of Music degree at the University of Massachusetts studying composition with Salvatore Macchia. Drawing on his background in mathematics and physics, Jazer uses the visual programming software Max/MSP to develop unique approaches to interactive live electronic music and video. He will be teaching a class on these topics at Umass, spring 2016.