MASSENA — Massena native Jennifer Bellor, Ph.D., has been awarded the prestigious 2023 Charles Vanda Award for Excellence in the Arts from the College of Fine Arts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Bellor, who is the coordinator for composition within the college, as well as an assistant professor of composition, broke the news to her mother, Massena Town Supervisor Sue Bellor recently.

According to Sue Bellor, the award is a competitive and prestigious arts award at the school, one that her daughter did not know whether she would even be considered for given the competitive nature of the selection process.

According to an award letter, the award was given to Bellor for her “excellent creative activity during the 2022-23 academic year.”

Bellor has been credited in her work as a composer, having worked with numerous top professional groups in recent years.

School officials say a virtual awards ceremony will be held in the near future, though a specific date has not been announced.

In her biography on the university’s website, Bellor is described as “that rare composer whose music manages to be instantly listenable and emotionally resonant without any compromise to its sophistication,” who is known to be a versatile talent that draws on numerous influences.

Throughout her career she has worked on numerous collaborations, including with classical and jazz musicians, visual artists, animators, videographers, radio actors and even robotic arm engineers.

Bellor’s music has been presented by the Washington National Opera, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Clocks in Motion Percussion, American Composers Orchestra Jazz Composer Orchestra Institute Readings, Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra featuring Grace Kelly, Carnegie Hall DCINY Series, Transient Canvas, Eastman New Jazz Ensemble, UNLV Wind Orchestra, Eastman Saxophone Project, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Saxophone Ensemble, A/Tonal, Sonic Cluster Duo, Elevate Ensemble, and many other soloists, chamber groups, and large ensembles in the US and abroad, according to her biography.

Bellor earned her 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 currently is on the music composition faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, coordinator of the composition division, and artistic director of the new music series, Nextet.