Interview with KNPR’s Dave Becker about “898 Hildegard”

Had a blast with KNPR’s Dave Becker to discuss my composition “898 Hildegard” that will receive its Las Vegas premiere April 1st with the Las Vegas Philharmonic and Master Singers! 😊
Interview is scheduled to air Thursday, March 30th.
Here is a link to the audio online:
https://knpr.org/knpr-classical/2017-03/jennifer-bellors-898-hildegard-premieres-las-vegas-philharmonic

Check out some of the photos from the March 28th rehearsal with Las Vegas Philharmonic conductor Donato Cabrera and the Las Vegas Master Singers:

Las Vegas Premiere of “From My Doleful Prison”

March 13-16, soprano Emily Woodruff flew to Las Vegas to perform my composition From My Doleful Prison that was premiered at the Composers Now Festival in February on her showcase titled “The Queens Speak.” Queens Speak Concert poster“The Queens Speak” is a multimedia concert pairing contemporary art song with projected imagery to narrate the lives and experiences of King Henry VIII’s wives. Premiered last month in NYC in the Composers Now Festival, the program features photography, graphic novel-style illustrations, ink and watercolor, and oil on canvas, paired with music by Jennifer Bellor, Devin Cholodenko, George Gianopoulos, and Libby Larsen. Each composer set letters written from the Tudor Queens. In addition to her performing it at the UNLV Nextet Concert on Wednesday, March 15, she presented the entire showcase Thursday afternoon at UNLV.

Here is a video recording from the performance:

scorePaired with artwork by Dustin Brown, From My Doleful Prison sets the letter Anne Boleyn supposedly wrote to her husband Henry VIII while she was in prison awaiting execution. 17264243_10103701552690586_6038176791081827190_nWhen I first read the letter, I knew I wanted to create a mad scene, since she is angry, confused, anxious, and filled with all sorts of emotions one would have when in a situation where one is wrongfully accused and sentenced to death for crimes that she may not even have committed. In addition to the soprano and piano parts, I used Logic samples to create a present day atmosphere that one might experience sitting in a jail cell. One would hear footsteps of prison guards approaching on a regular basis, along with clanging of the metal bars, people yelling, and even abstract sounds that one might experience in electrocution chambers. This sounds are ongoing throughout the entire piece to represent the fact that even after communicating the letter in song, the sounds will never stop, and the prisoner is still hopelessly stuck in a state of oppression sitting there in her jail cell.

The performance was thrilling! Joining her on piano was UNLV faculty pianist Tim Hoft.

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“Moments Shared, Moments Lost” on the Elevate Ensemble concert “After Dark”

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This past weekend, I was thrilled to be in San Francisco to meet with the Elevate Ensemble and be at their concert on Saturday March 4th titled “After Dark.” Back in December, I found out that I won their Elevate Ensemble Call for Scores competition, and was so honored to hear they wanted to perform my composition Moments Shared, Moments Lost for clarinet and electric organ.

I arrived on Friday for their rehearsal, and was blown away by the performance! Featuring clarinetist Jonathan Szin and Nick Bacchetto on electric organ, it was a very moving interpretation of the piece. Here are some photos of the performance and also of me talking about my composition.
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We explored San Francisco in between the concert and rehearsals, going to lots of coffee shops and even was able to fit in a 90-minute sail around Alcatraz! 17103634_10103675196259086_4786485221090120040_n
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Guest Composer Jennifer Bellor at Missouri State University (Feb. 27-March 1)

Jennifer Bellor 3 copyThe Missouri State University 2017 Composition Festival was February 27-March 1 featuring two wonderful concerts with a wide variety of new music! Directed by faculty composer Mike Murray, I was thrilled to be the guest composer along with Lansing D. McLoskey, and had a blast meeting with the performers, faculty, and students.

IMG_2955Monday’s concert featured chamber works by the guest composers and students on the first half of the program. My composition Stay (2016) was performed by clarinetist Allison Storochuk, pianist Peter Collins, and Scott Cameron on vibraphone. It was a beautiful performance, and a pleasure meeting them!

Tuesday, I really enjoyed working with the students in a master class followed by giving a presentation of my music, sharing compositions Chase the Stars, Moments Shared, Moments Lost, Air and Angels, and excerpts from Bordello Nights.

17098321_10103668409759286_1147399022332235965_nWednesday’s concert featured the MSU Chorale conducted by Cameron LaBarr. I was blown away by their performance of Remember, one of the earliest compositions I wrote that I revised back in 2015, which sets the poem by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) titled Remember.

Here is a photo of the composers (and conductor) after the show. 17103702_10103668409764276_5305859727687797601_nIt was an honor to be invited to be guest composer for this festival, and I look forward to many more opportunities to make new musical connections with composers and performers!