Meet our Faculty

Assistant Professor of Composition and Theory
University of Nevada, Las Vegas

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, from progressive rock bands to jazz artists, singer-songwriters, and Bellor’s own studies of the violin, piano, French horn, and voice. Images, texts, and emotional experiences inspire her works, which are often characterized as melodic with jazz- and pop-influenced harmonies. Bellor’s music has been presented widely throughout the U.S. and abroad by musicians and ensembles such as the Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra, Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center, Clocks in Motion, American Composers Orchestra, Las Vegas Philharmonic, and on concert series and festivals including Finland’s Kaarina Music Week, Wuhan Chamber series, Ritsos Project art song concert in Greece, Carnegie Hall DCINY series, the International Horn Society Symposium in Montreal, among many others. Bellor has issued three albums: Stay (2016), Reflections at Dusk (Innova Recordings, 2019), and Oneira (Aerocade Music, 2022).

Director - Composer’s Sandbox Associate Professor of Music
Hobart and William Smith Colleges Music Department

Mark Olivieri (b. 1972) is a composer whose music is performed throughout the United States and abroad in such venues as The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, The Sibelius Academy, The Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, Glinka Concert Hall in St. Petersburg, Russia and Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland. 

Olivieri's experience as an improvisatory musician and jazz arranger informs his work, and his compositions are inspired as much by Black Sabbath and Thelonius Monk as they are by traditional concert music. Critically acclaimed by the New York Times, Olivieri’s music has been described as “Glittering!” and “Pop-infused.”

Freelance Composer
Netherlands

Pianist and composer Douwe Eisenga creates sparkling music for sparkling minds, a hypnotizing mix of rhythm, haunting melodies, and compelling lyricism. Honest, down to earth peoples-music. Often subdued and sober with a generous force: the underlying melodies carve themselves into the soul of the listener.

For the last twenty years, Eisenga has gained world-wide attention. He works with British writer David Mitchell, American choreographer Claudia Schreier, Italian harpist Assia Cunego, and the Russian Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble. Closer to home, he writes music for harpist Lavinia Meijer, pianists Marcel Worms, Jeroen van Veen and Gerard Bouwhuis, Cello Octet Amsterdam, Slagwerk Den Haag, and many more.

His musical DNA is rooted in rock, pop, and world music. All these influences, combined with baroque and the minimalistic repetitiveness of Glass, find their way into the pieces of Eisenga.

Associate Professor
University of Illinois .
School of Theater and Music

Composer Marc Mellits is one of the leading American composers of his generation, enjoying hundreds of performances throughout the world every year, making him one of the most performed living composers in the United States.  From Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, to prestigious music festivals in Europe and the US, Mellits’ music is a constant mainstay on programs throughout the world.  His unique musical style is an eclectic combination of driving rhythms, soaring lyricism, and colorful orchestrations that all combine to communicate directly with the listener.  Mellits' music is often described as being visceral, making a deep connection with the audience.  “This was music as sensual as it was intelligent; I saw audience members swaying, nodding, making little motions with their hands” (New York Press).  He started composing very early, and was writing piano music long before he started formal piano lessons at age 6.  He went on to study at the Eastman School of Music, Yale School of Music, Cornell University, and Tanglewood.  Mellits often is a miniaturist, composing works that are comprised of short, contrasting movements or sections.  His music is eclectic, all-encompassing, colorful, and always has a sense of forward motion.