Michael Bellar - Musician I Producer I Composer
Michael Bellar (acoustic and electronic keyboards, hammond organ, accordion, percussion and bgv) is a NYC based musician, producer and composer who stands by his slow, southern roots. As a solo performer and as leader of his own improvisational based groups Michael has performed at a wide range of festivals and venues across the country including the Telluride Jazz Festival, NYC Winter Jazz Festival, Brooklyn Bowl, the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, the Blue Note Jazz Festival NYC, Avery Fischer Hall (for Habitat for Humanity), San Jose Jazz Festival, JVC Jazz Festival, Rockwood Music Hall and spent a summer as the house band at the world famous Blue Note jazz club in NYC. He has opened for artists such as Robert Randolph & the Family Band, John Scofield, Medeski Martin & Wood, Oliver Wood (of the Wood Brothers), Cory Henry & the Funk Apostles, Raul Midon, Jon Cleary, That 1 Guy, Ryan Montbleau, the Jeff Sipe Trio and Tauk.
As a sideman, Michael has toured/recorded/performed with an array of diverse artists such as; Amos Lee, Fred Wesley (James Brown), Oliver Wood (of the Wood Brothers), Railroad Earth, the Magpie Salute (Rich Robinson and Marc Ford of the Black Crowes), Walter Parks and the Unlawful Assembly, Art Garfunkel, Ryan Montbleau, Norbert Leo Butz, Chop & Quench - ‘The Fela! Band,’ Biagio Antonacci, Red Baraat, Jump Little Children, the Brooklyn Qawwali Party, Wheatus, Teddy Geiger (MD), Howie Day and Euro pop star Giorgia. Michael's national TV appearances as a sideman include - The Late Show with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Good Morning America among others and has tracked keyboards for The Wonder Years (2021-22 TV series). Michael has performed on over 90 recordings of other artists.
Michael served as Associate Musical Director, Assistant Conductor/accordionist/drummer and pianist for the Broadway run of Daniel Fish’s Oklahoma! - the 2019 Tony award winner for best musical revival and Grammy Nominee for best cast recording and was the Associate Music Supervisor for the national tour. In 2024 Michael was a conductor sub for the Tony award winning Broadway run of Sufjan Stevens and Justin Peck’s Illinoise at the St James Theater and a keyboardist sub on Jason Robert Brown’s The Connector at MCC Theater in NYC. He was Music Consultant for Lincoln Center’s 2023 production of Coast Starlight, directed by Tyne Rafaeli and scored by Daniel Kluger along with being band leader and keyboardist for Walter Dean Myers’ Harlem produced by the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC.
As a producer, Michael has produced recordings for other artists including Saint Disruption Towers single, Melissa Reaves Bitter Pear (upcoming release), Abbie Gardner (of Red Molly) Wishes on a Neon Sign, Kelly Marie On A Whim (co-producer/sound designer), Kellin Watson Halo of Blue (also co-writer), Argentinian pop artist Coral Rock and Dolls (selected tracks) along with scoring work and recordings for his own creative projects including Michael Bellar & the AS-IS Ensemble's Oh No Oh Wow, Turned On Turned Up, Like It Is and REACT!. In addition to producing recordings for other songwriters and artists, Michael has produced and created music for short film, national ad campaigns, commercial music houses and licensing libraries.
As a composer, Michael has recorded four full length albums of his own compositions and arrangements - Oh No Oh Wow, Turned On Turned Up, Like It Is and REACT!, with his group Michael Bellar & the AS-IS Ensemble, which was hailed as “GENERATION NEXT” by Billboard Magazine. Michael’s compositions have been licensed by HBO, CBS and Fresh Air with Terry Gross, used in the soundtrack of the feature film Parallel Chords (2018) and have been performed by the chamber ensemble 9 Horses. Michael wrote and performed a special composition for the National gala of Humanity for Humanity at (then) Avery Fischer Hall in NYC, which featured a special percussion movement made of construction equipment. He scored Denver Milord’s 2020 short film Charcoal and has written and performed scores for modern dance companies including North Carolina Dance Theater, Peter Kyle Dance, Terpsicorps Theater of Dance, Sun Ho Kim & Dancers and Chimera Physical Theater.
header photo by mike depasquale