ACM@UCO welcomes our Coordinator of Academic Operations for Music Performance, Mitch Bell, musician, composer, educator, and producer.

Born in Oklahoma City, Mitch has fond memories of a childhood filled with music. “I was lucky to grow up in a home that had a good record collection and some musical instruments,” he recalls, “As a kid, Led Zeppelin III and Blow by Blow changed the way I perceived music!”

Mitch started playing guitar at the age of ten after years of watching his father play. Throughout his time in high school, he continually earned the guitar chair in the OMEA and IAJE all-state jazz ensembles, where his interest in jazz took center stage. He won a scholarship to the University of Central Oklahoma, where he held the guitar chair in the acclaimed Jazz Band I, performing with Byron Stripling, David Gibson, and Vince Norman. In 2004, Mitch was voted collegiate musician of the year by the Oklahoma Music Educator's Association.

Upon graduation, Mitch began to develop a career as a side-man playing locally and nationally with various independent artists. He performed in the off-Broadway production of “Hairspray” with former Bowie drummer Alan Childs. He also recorded extensively as a session guitarist and has recorded on numerous albums and commercial tracks for clients such as Ozarka, Six Flags, Chesapeake Energy, and St. Anthony Hospital.

In 2005, Mitch won a scholarship to attend the prestigious Banff International Workshop in Creative Music, where he performed and studied with Dave Douglas, Greg Osby, Vijay Iyer, and various other progressive musicians. In 2008, he co-formed Dimension Entertainment, an agency that provides live music entertainment for local venues and corporate clientele.

When Mitch is not on stage, he spends time producing and recording artists in his home studio. At ACM@UCO, Mitch oversees the Performance program.  When asked what his favorite thing is about working for ACM@UCO, Mitch said: “Having the opportunity to work with an amazingly talented and diverse group of professionals and watching the students benefit from their experience.”