William Belan
Professor of Music in Choral Studies
William Belan has served on the music faculty at CalStateLA since 1980. He has also taught at the University of South Dakota, Long Beach State University and the National University of Costa Rica. Belan has taught a variety of courses across the undergraduate and graduate music curriculum at the university.
Dr. Belan serves as director of the Roger Wagner Center for Choral Studies, a chartered center of the university, which provides materials and workshops for choral professionals. At CalStateLA, Belan also directs one of largest choral conducting graduate degree programs in the US, known as the “Three Summer MM in Choral Conducting.”
Belan is an active researcher having numerous publications on the subjects of the English Madrigal, Latin American choral music, and historical performance practice. He is the author of Choral Essays: A Tribute to Roger Wagner (1993) and A Conductor’s Handbook for the Performance of English Madrigals (2007). A third book, A Conductor’s Handbook for the Performance of Latin American Rhythms is currently in publication. Belan is general editor for the William Belan Latin American Series (Gentry Publications), the William Belan Choral Series (Twin Elm Publications) and the Roger Wagner Contemporary Choral Series (Gentry Publications).
Degrees and awards:
William Belan holds a DMA in choral conducting from the University of Oklahoma, a M.M. in conducting from the University of Tulsa, and a B.A. in music from U.C.L.A. Dr. Belan also holds a post-doctoral certificate of executive management from the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.
Belan has been a frequent invited guest of the National Choral Directors Association of Costa Rica, Central American, where he has served as a consultant, conductor and lecturer since 1986. He also keeps an active schedule as guest lecturer, adjudicator, and consultant to not-for-profit organizations.
Dr. Belan is currently the national chair for the Research and Publications Committee of the American Choral Directors Association. He is also the founder and director of a collaborative project between ACDA and the Library of Congress: American Choral Music: 1870-1923. This website at the LOC presents choral music from the Library’s vast collection and makes it available for download and public performance.