Miyazawa Performing Artist Dr. Megan Bellamy-Lanz performs regularly as a solo artist and chamber musician. As a pedagogue, she finds great joy and fulfillment in helping students connect the musical and physical components of instrumental performance. Her holistic teaching and performance philosophies encompass the physical, mental, and emotional facets of being a complete musician.

Driven by a passion for contemporary music, Dr. Bellamy-Lanz frequently collaborates with composers to commission and premiere new works. (A complete list of these projects can be found on her New Music Advocacy page). Her performances earned her second place in the 2023 American Prize Professional Instrumental Soloist Competition and semi-finalist honors in the 2023 American Prize Ernst Bacon Memorial Award for the Performance of American Music. Her affinity for modern music began during her academic training, which culminated in deep research into 20th-century composer Salvatore Sciarrino and his use of unconventional, everyday sounds. Her doctoral document, a style analysis and performance companion to Sciarrino's collection L'opera per flauto, was published in 2010 and is available here.

In addition to her performance research, Dr. Bellamy-Lanz is the author of the interactive textbook Music and the Human Experience: A Guide for Informed Listening, published by Cognella Academic Publishing. Designed for music appreciation and introductory ethnomusicology courses, the book offers a comprehensive exploration of music's social functions, its structural principles, and its profound ability to shape and express human emotion across cultural and psychological contexts.

This commitment to diverse musical perspectives also drives her vibrant performance career. Dr. Bellamy-Lanz has shared the stage with a diverse roster of legendary artists, including Andrea Bocelli, The Who, Stephen Hough, David Foster, Natalie Merchant, Time For Three, Charles Yang, Jackie Evancho, Celtic Woman, Hilary Hahn, and Edgar Meyer. Her extensive ensemble and production credits include:

• Symphonic & Festival Orchestras: Colorado Symphony Orchestra (under Andrew Litton and Peter Oundjian), Colorado Music Festival Orchestra, Las Vegas Philharmonic, Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, Crested Butte Music Festival Orchestra, Nevada Pops, and the Greeley Philharmonic.

• Opera & Choral: Opera Steamboat, Larimer Chorale, and Laudamus Chorale.

• Musical Theatre & Commercial Tours: The first national tour of Wicked, Phantom: The Las Vegas Spectacular, and Disney’s The Lion King.

In Northern Colorado, she maintains an active private flute studio. Her students frequently win placements in Colorado's All-State ensembles as well as the High School Honor Bands for Colorado State University, the University of Northern Colorado, and the University of Colorado. Her alumni have gone on to attend prestigious institutions like the Interlochen Arts Academy, The Colburn School, and the University of North Texas College of Music, and have performed with elite groups including "The Pershing's Own," the American Youth Symphony, and the Music Academy of the West.

Dr. Bellamy-Lanz is an active member of several professional and honor organizations, including the National Flute Association, the Colorado Flute Association, the American Federation of Musicians (Local 20-623, Denver), and the American Association of University Professors, as well as Golden Key, Alpha Lambda Delta, and Phi Eta Sigma. She has recorded on the GIA and Klavier record labels, and performs on a 14k gold Miyazawa flute, a Hammig piccolo, and Trevor James alto and bass flutes.