He also did advanced studies in composition at the Banff Centre for the Arts where his teachers were Jean Coulthard, Bruce Mather, and Oskar Morawetz.
[2] Bell is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre, for which he served as President of the National Board from 1984 to 1988.
[4] In the works of Bell one can hear the influences of prairie cultures and scenes and the sounds of nature,[5] which he illustrates with orchestration.
In 2004 he received a transplant that halted a serious liver condition;[3] today he actively works in academia and continues to compose.
In 2012, for his contribution to Canadian contemporary classical music and culture, Bell was made a Member of the Order of Canada.