Longtime Eastern choral conductor retires, opens martial arts studio in Willimantic

David Belles: From professor to sensei

Willimantic, CT (05/13/2025) — David Belles, professor of music at Eastern Connecticut State University for 23 years and longtime conductor of the Concert Chorale and Chamber Singers, conducted his final concerts this spring 2025 semester. After the academic year, Belles will retire to focus on a new endeavor: running Crane's Wing Martial Arts in downtown Willimantic, opening May 31.

"This is a place where I can build something," Belles recalled thinking when accepting Eastern's offer in 2002. "In my audition to get the job, I gave a voice lesson to the department secretary, who was a temporary employee. That's how small the music program was."

Not only did Belles build a robust choral program on campus; he took it on the road for the world to see - and for his students to see the world. During his doctoral studies at the University of Iowa, Belles earned a job as director of choral activities at the College of Idaho and was soon touring annually with the group, a tradition he carried into his tenure at Eastern.

Belles recalled a shocking revelation made to him by a student during the group's first tour in Vienna, Austria.

"The first tour that I took was in 2006 for Mozart's 250th birthday," he said. "I looked at this one student and said, 'Are you excited to go to Vienna for this?' And she said, 'Dr. Belles, this is my first time out of the state of Connecticut.'"

Hearing this helped shape Belles's vision for future tours: "I thought that part of my mission needed to be exposing students to things beyond Connecticut. We've been to places like Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, the Carolinas, and Canada."

A full-circle educational path

A first-generation college student, Belles first studied conducting with Julie Pretzat, now dean of the school of communication, media, and the arts at the State University of New York (SUNY) Oswego, a two-and-a-half-hour drive from his native Schenectady.

Following in Pretzat's footsteps, Belles moved on to graduate studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, where he studied with prolific conductor Elmer Thomas.

"From Elmer, I learned to look at the character of the composer and their life and how that may have influenced what they were writing," said Belles.

Thomas's instructional style prepared Belles for the several years following his master's degree, which involved several part-time jobs, ranging from conducting to mail delivery. He made a break for himself after moving back to upstate New York and phoning a friend from Cincinnati.

"He was studying for his doctorate at University of Iowa," said Belles. "One of the graduate students was finishing, so there would be a spot open in the spring. A week later, I was in Iowa for an audition, and I got in." There, Belles studied with revered conductor Bill Hatcher.

A journey to the past

For his final performance, Belles called upon Eastern choral alumni for a special send-off. "I wanted it to be a journey to the past and made it an alumni concert," he said. "We had nearly 60 people come from as far back as (the Class of) 2012. The finishing touch was to bring in all of these former students."

Belles's past at Eastern has involved journeys not only around the world, but into various performative environments. "I wanted to broaden experiences for the choir," he said.

"We've sung with West Hartford Symphony Orchestra and at Carnegie Hall with professional orchestras. We sang with Josh Groban and sang for the 'Game of Thrones' concert tour. My impact on the Willimantic community would be measured largely by how many audience members come from beyond the borders of Windham County."

New career, same philosophy

Over the last decade, Belles has become actively involved with the martial arts. After he retires, he will begin his "dream retirement job" - opening a dojo on Main Street in Willimantic.

"I think my role is exactly the same," he said. "One of my primary interests is how using the body, making no noise, can shape space around you. My role as a conductor will continue. It's just the student population that will change."

Belles views leading students as involving the same process, both in the dojo and on the stage. "The sound I will be making is through the physical nature of what students in the dojo are producing and how they're growing in terms of body awareness and envisioning what's going on around them, rather than looking at a (musical) score and realizing the composer's intentions."

###

Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,000 students annually on its Willimantic campus. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 25 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2024-25 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 15 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.