About this artist
“she's also that rare composer whose music manages to be instantly listenable and emotionally resonant without any compromise to its sophistication.” - textura
Described as "evocative" (Jazz Weekly), "lyrical," and "mesmerizing" (textura), the music of Las Vegas-based composer <strong>Jennifer Bellor</strong> has been presented by Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center, American Composers Orchestra, Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra, Wuhan Philharmonic Chamber Series, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Lviv Philharmonic, Transient Canvas, UNLV Wind Orchestra, DCINY Series at Carnegie Hall, Clocks in Motion, ShoutHouse, Florida State University Festival of New Music, Hildegard Festival, Aspen Festival, June in Buffalo, Missouri State University Composition Festival, Missouri State University Composition Festival, Indiana State University Contemporary Music Festival, Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, Eastman Saxophone Project, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Saxophone Ensemble, A/Tonal, Ritsos Project, Sonic Cluster Duo, Elevate Ensemble, and many others in the US and abroad.
Bellor's recent album “Reflections at Dusk” was released by Innova Recordings November 2019, and showcases instrumental music inspired by the Nevada sunsets. The album has been described as “crepuscular,” “mystical,” and “magical.” Cerulean Twilight and Amethyst Sunset have been featured on radio shows including Marvin Rosen’s Classical Discoveries, “Feminine Fusion,” and selections from album will be showcased on Society for New Music's Fresh Ink broadcast in April.
Her music draws on a variety of influences, evidenced in her debut album Stay (2016), which is a melting pot of different music styles largely based on poetry. <em>Stay</em> was featured on NewMusicBox’s 2016 Staff picks, and was praised as having the ability to “maintain a highly individual identity without needing to take refuge in pre-post-genre musical silos.”
Currently, she is the Composer-in-Residence for the percussion quartet, Clocks in Motion, and is working on four quartets that will be completed over the three-year residency. Additionally, current projects include her a new orchestra piece, song cycle, and various commissions from both professional and collegiate ensembles.
Born and raised in Northern NY, Bellor earned a PhD in music composition at Eastman School of Music, a Master of Music degree in composition at Syracuse University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in music at Cornell University. Her primary composition teachers included David Liptak, Bob Morris, Andrew Waggoner, Sally Lamb-McCune, and Steven Stucky. She is on the music composition faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and artistic director of the new music series Nextet. For more information, please visit www.jenniferbellor.com.