KJ Bell
KJ Bell is a writer, musician, and teacher. He owns and operates a music teaching studio in Los Angeles, specializing and string and voice instruction.
A native of Farmington, New Mexico, KJ became involved in the town's thriving school music programs as a teenager, first as a violinist, then as a vocalist. After graduating from Piedra Vista High School he moved to Durango, Colorado to pursue a degree in Music Education at Fort Lewis College. During his undergraduate work he participated in almost every ensemble at the college, serving as principal violist of the chamber orchestra, and section leader of the choirs. As president of the college's chapter of the National Association for Music Education, he founded the Mack-Mann Recital Series, aimed at raising funds for the chapter's activities.
During his time in Durango, he performed with ensembles throughout the southwest, including the San Juan Symphony, Durango Choral Society, Caliente Community Chorus, and the Durango Chamber Singers. His expertise as a string player, vocalist, and conductor kept him in high demand in the region.
In June of 2015 KJ traveled to Rome, Italy where he participated in the Rome Choral Festival under the direction of Z. Randall Stroope. He was chosen to perform a solo with the choir during the festival performances, which included a mass at St. Peter's Basilica and the church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.
He has written numerous works for chorus, performing several during his time as the Music and Choir Director at Christ the King Lutheran Church. The April 2017 premiere of his setting of T. H. Bradshaw's poem "For You" earned him a standing ovation in his hometown when he conducted the work with the Durango Chamber Singers.
KJ now resides in Los Angeles, where he continues to teach music and work on multitudes of other creative projects, many of which can be found on his other website thatkjbell.com