“That rare composer whose music manages to be instantly listenable and emotionally resonant without any compromise to its sophistication.” —Textura
“Her music, as was the case with Oneira, walks the perilous tightrope that exists between approachability and sophistication.” — Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine
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Described by Textura as “that rare composer whose music manages to be instantly listenable and emotionally resonant without any compromise to its sophistication,” Jennifer Bellor is a versatile composer whose music draws on a variety of influences. Her compositional style, marked by a fusion of influences drawn from imagery, literature, and personal experiences, showcases a melodic richness underscored by jazz and pop-infused harmonies.
Bellor’s music has been presented widely throughout the U.S. and abroad and has five acclaimed albums to her name. Her debut album Stay (2016), a melting pot of different music styles largely based on poetry, was featured on NewMusicBox’s 2016 Staff Picks, which praised the record for its ability to “maintain a highly individual identity without needing to take refuge in pre-post-genre musical silos.” The magazine lauded the first track, “Chase the Stars,” not only for its “dazzling eclecticism” combining opera, hip hop, and jazz, but also for Bellor’s singing. The composition was awarded The American Prize (2016) in the orchestral category. Reflections at Dusk (Innova Recordings, 2019), showcases instrumental music inspired by the Nevada sunsets; Jazz Weekly described it has having “evocative musical images.” Bellor’s collaboration with the percussion quartet Clocks in Motion culminated in the release of her album Oneira (Aerocade Music, 2022). Her music was hailed by Textura as “rousing and infectious,” and praised as being “exquisitely crafted; it is at once absolutely contemporary and yet eminently approachable.” (Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine)
The title track, Oneira, served as the soundtrack to an animation created by Christine Banna. The music video was featured on I Care if You Listen, and it received screenings at multiple film festivals.
Her album, Long These Days (Lexicon Classics, 2024), featured Bellor as the composer, pianist, and producer. Collaborating with soprano Olivia Yokers, bassist Norman Espinoza, and electric guitarist Tasos Peltekis, the concept album comprises art songs and instrumental interludes. Textura praised the work as being a “sophisticated composition of integrity and craft,” and “a standalone work of multi-hued design, a tapestry in its truest sense.” Take Effect praised the album as being “A gorgeous body of work that takes inspiration from the poetry of Christina Rossetti and Pablo Neruda, the themes of love, empowerment and nostalgia use improvised bouts that provides even more intrigue and awe.”
Catching Clouds is Bellor’s most recent album (Lexicon Classics, 2026), featuring Bryan Conger (clarinet), Shawna Pennock (alto saxophone), James Doyle (vibraphone) and Bellor (piano). The music was praised as “exhaling a sort of ecstasy; walking the perilous tightrope that exists between approachability and sophistication.” (Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine). They performed the entire album live in concert on April 26, 2026 at Southern Nevada Music.
In addition to the release of her album, Bellor was one of the resident composers who served on the faculty at the International Alba Music Composition program in May 2024, and was also on the faculty at the Mostly Modern Festival in summer 2025.
A native of northern NY, Bellor holds degrees from Eastman School of Music (PhD), Syracuse University (MM), and Cornell University (BA). She is Assistant Professor of Music Composition at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where she is Artistic Director of the contemporary music series, Nextet. For more information, visit www.jenniferbellor.com.
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Described by Textura as “that rare composer whose music manages to be instantly listenable and emotionally resonant without any compromise to its sophistication,” Jennifer Bellor is a versatile composer whose music draws on a variety of influences. Her compositional style, marked by a fusion of influences drawn from imagery, literature, and personal experiences, showcases a melodic richness underscored by jazz and pop-infused harmonies.
Her music has been presented widely throughout the U.S. and abroad and has five acclaimed albums to her name: Stay (2016), featured on NewMusicBox’s 2016 Staff Picks and praised for its ability to “maintain a highly individual identity without needing to take refuge in pre-post-genre musical silos;” Reflections at Dusk (Innova Recordings, 2019); Oneira (Aerocade Music, 2022), featured on I Care if You Listen and praised by Fanfare Magazine as being “exquisitely crafted; it is at once absolutely contemporary and yet eminently approachable.” Long These Days (2024, Lexicon Classics), praised as the work being a “sophisticated composition of integrity and craft and a standalone work of multi-hued design, a tapestry in its truest sense” (Textura) and Catching Clouds (Lexicon Classics, 2026), described as “exhaling a sort of ecstasy; walking the perilous tightrope that exists between approachability and sophistication.” (Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine).
A native of northern NY, Bellor holds degrees from Eastman School of Music (PhD), Syracuse University (MM), and Cornell University (BA). She is Assistant Professor of Music Composition at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. For more information, visit www.jenniferbellor.com.