Jennifer Bellor, Noir

Wind Ensemble Version
A wind ensemble version is available on the composer’s website.

Orchestra Version:
Instrumentation: 1 Piccolo – 1 Flute – 1 Oboe – 2 Clarinets in Bb – 1 Bassoon – 2 Horns in F – 2 Trumpets in Bb – 1 Trombone – 1 Percussion (Tubular Bells, Suspended Cymbal, Triangle) – *Piano – Drum Set (optional and with improvisation) – Full Strings
*Piano part is completely written out with chord symbols included for any pianist who would like to ad lib and improvise.

Soli: Tenor Saxophone with improvisation and Electric Guitar with improvisation

Duration: 9 minutes

Program Note:
Noir (2023) for tenor saxophone, electric guitar, and orchestra was commissioned by the Georgia Tech Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Chaowen Ting for premiere on September 26, 2023. Andrea Pérez Muksi conducted the premiere, which featured jazz saxophonist Daniel Juárez and electric guitarist Nat Condit-Schultz.

The tenor sax melody at the beginning is from my art song composition, Nightingale (2011). In 2013, I decided to create an instrumental jazz version, which I titled Noir referencing the dark and mysterious atmosphere throughout. The chamber jazz version was premiered at the 2013 Rochester Fringe Festival, and the 2014 big band version was the winner of the Seattle Wo

men’s Jazz Orchestra Contest and performed at the Ear Shot Festival featuring alto saxophonist Grace Kelly.

For this new version, the piece has been extended to feature both the sax and electric guitar, along with giving the orchestra a more prominent role in various sections. Furthermore, I grew up listening to a lot of progressive rock, and wanted to incorporate more of that stylistic influence into this new composition.

We commissioned this work for the visit of Spanish saxophonist Daniel Juárez in 2023 as it was difficult to find works featuring a jazz saxophone with orchestra. This edition is really effective with improvisation from the both soloists and Bellor created a wonderful color for the orchestra.

Described as “evocative” (Jazz Weekly), “lyrical,” and “mesmerizing” (textura), the music of Las Vegas-based composer Jennifer Bellor has been presented by Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center, American Composers Orchestra, Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Wuhan Philharmonic Chamber Series, Lviv Philharmonic, Clocks in Motion, ShoutHouse, Florida State University Festival of New Music, Hildegard Festival, Missouri State University Composition Festival, Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, Eastman Saxophone project, UNLV Wind Orchestra, Transient Canvas, 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,” with one reviewer stating, “she’s also that rare composer whose music manages to be instantly listenable and emotionally resonant without any compromise to its sophistication.” – textura. Her music draws on a variety of influences, evidenced in her debut album Stay (2016), which was featured on NewMusicBox’s 2016 Staff picks, and praised as having the ability to “maintain a highly individual identity without needing to take refuge in pre-post-genre musical silos.”

Bellor holds 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. She is on the composition faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and artistic director of the new music series Nextet. For more information, please visit her website, www.jenniferbellor.com.

Scores and parts for all versions are available through the composer’s website.

● Full Orchestra Version:
Recording on YouTube by the Georgia Tech Concert Orchestra, conducted by Andrea Pérez Muksi (premiere; excerpt)