Jennifer Bellor

Her debut album Stay (2016) was featured on NewMusicBox’s Staff Picks as an album displaying a “wonderful demonstration of how to maintain a highly individual compositional identity without needing to take refuge in pre-post-genre musical silos.” (Frank J. Oteri, NewMusicBox).

I’m excited to share the video from the premiere of my song cycle “Songs in the Dark” – the version for voice and piano! I love Emily Brontë’s poetry, and was honored to perform these with Christina Wright-Ivanova on piano at the UNLV Nextet concert November 2nd. I realized more and more the last couple of years how much I miss and love performing. I feel more complete when I aim to perform my own vocal compositions, since I can play a more active role in the music-making process. Here is a little bit about the songs:

When I came across these highly emotional poems, they reminded me of lyrics to rock songs reminiscent of one of my favorite artists, Tori Amos. I decided to compose what I consider alternative rock art song, and create a narrative that ties these poems together: how the main character deals with the varying emotional states that accompany feelings of despair or loss, focusing on the lower register of the voice:
1) “Frozen” – she is caught in the middle of a metaphorical storm that ultimately sucks her into the vortex of despair.
– Piano interlude creating the cold and dreary atmosphere as leaves are falling from trees
2) “Fall, Leaves, Fall” she embraces darkness, welcoming death around her.
3) “I’ll Not Weep” – even though she may be sad that he dies, she really is just sad to be stuck here and hopes that she can die too very soon and join him.

If any of my singer friends want to check them out, send me a message! =)
Here is the audio on SoundCloud:

Thank you, Neva Pilgrim, for including some of my music from my album on upcoming FRESH INK BROADCASTS! =) Today, she will be playing “Fallen Veneer” on the program “Frontier Music.” My compositions “Stay,” “Moments Shared, Moments Lost,” and “Chase the Stars” will be aired on November 13th, 27th and December 4th. Here is a list of upcoming programs that all begin Sunday’s at 2:00 PM EST on Classic FM, WCNY-FM 91.3 Syracuse, http://www.societyfornewmusic.org/ink.cfm, http://tunein.com/radio/WCNY-FM-913-s27969/

I premiered the voice and piano version of my composition Songs in the Dark at the UNLV Nextet concert Wednesday, November 2nd with Christina Wright-Ivanova on piano. We had a blast performing, and I’m just so happy to be a part of the music-making experience. I wrote these songs over the summer when I came across these highly emotional and dark poems by my favorite writer Emily Brontë (1818-1848). I LOVE Brontë’s poetry, and these reminded me of lyrics to rock songs. Therefore, I decided to compose what I consider alternative rock art song, and create a narrative that ties these poems together: how the main character deals with the varying emotional states that accompany feelings of despair or loss 1) First one, “Frozen,” she is caught in the middle of a metaphorical storm that ultimately sucks her into the vortex of despair. 2) “Fall, Leaves, Fall” she embraces darkness, welcoming death around her. 3) “I’ll Not weep,” she is tired of that low feeling and instead does a massive “over-correction” trying to turn the feeling into hope: Even though she may be sad that he dies, she really is just sad to be stuck here and hopes that she can die too very soon and join him.

Querencia for wind ensemble & vibraphone soloist was commissioned by James Doyle and the Adams State University Wind Ensemble under the direction of Angela Winter for premiere at the Colorado Music Educators Association Conference at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs on January 26, 2017. The commission was funded by a grant that encourages art based on the culture of the San Luis Valley in Colorado.Duration: approximately 6 minutes. Here are some score excerpt:

I premiered the version I wrote of “Songs in the Dark” with the Mivos quartet on September 17, 2016 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for the N.E.O.N. festival concert. It was such an honor working with them! Featured are:
Jennifer Bellor, composer and vocalist
Mivos Quartet (Olivia de Prato and Lauren Cauley, violin; Victor Lowrie, viola; Mariel Roberts, cello)
Tim Jones, vibraphone
Summer Kodama, electric bass

I orchestrated the first two songs of the cycle for this performance: 1) “Frozen” and 2) “Fall, Leaves, Fall.”