Jessie Montgomery
“Many composers would have been wary of a commission to write a tribute to the 200th anniversary of ‘The Star Spangled Banner’...Ms. Montgomery readily accepted the challenge, writing an urgent, inventive piece titled ‘Banner’...She daringly transforms the anthem, folding it into a teaming score...to create a musical melting pot.”
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Montgomery’s music interweaves classical music with elements of vernacular music, improvisation, poetry, and social consciousness, making her an acute interpreter of 21st century American sound and experience. Her profoundly felt works have been described as “turbulent, wildly colorful and exploding with life” (The Washington Post).
She is the recipient of the Civitella Ranieri Fellowship for Summer 2023.
She is an Artist in Residence at the Vanderbilt University Blair School of Music through Fall 2023 and professor of violin and composition at The New School.
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Performance highlights during the 22/23 season of recently premiered new works include Rounds with Chicago Symphony Orchestra; new choreography set to various orchestral works by Donald Byrd for Nashville Ballet; and co-commissioner performances of L.E.S. Characters by Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and Grant Park Music Festival, Five Freedom Songs by Virginia Arts Festival, Kansas City Symphony, and Hymn for Everyone by the National Symphony Orchestra and Music Academy of the West.
Future commissions include a solo work for Alisa Weilerstein’s FRAGMENTS project and three orchestral works for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, and a consortium led by the Dallas Symphony with the Baltimore, Buffalo, Detroit, New Jersey, and Seattle Symphony Orchestras, for New Music USA’s Amplifying Voices program, respectively.
Jessie Montgomery is a GRAMMY-winning, acclaimed composer, violinist, and educator whose music interweaves classical music with elements of vernacular music, improvisation, poetry, and social consciousness, making her an acute interpreter of twenty-first century American sound and experience. Her profoundly felt works have been described as “turbulent, wildly colorful and exploding with life” (The Washington Post) and are performed regularly by leading orchestras and ensembles around the world. In June 2024, she concluded a three-year appointment as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Mead Composer-in-Residence.
Montgomery’s music contains a breadth of musical depictions of the human experience—from statements on social justice themes, to the Black diasporic experience and its foundation in American music, to wistful adorations and playful spontaneity—reflective of her deeply rooted experience as a classical violinist and child of the radical NYC arts community of the 1980s and 90s. From choral-symphonic works such as I Have Something To Say (2019), to her more intimate solo instrumental works, she presents a fresh perspective on the contemporary concert music experience. As stated by San Francisco’s NPR station KQED in response to her GRAMMY-winning work Rounds (2021), “this is what classical music needs in 2024.”
Montgomery is a highly engaged collaborator with performing musicians, composers, choreographers, playwrights, poets, and visual artists alike. Recent collaborations include a recording and touring project with Third Coast Percussion including commissioned and adapted works and her performance of the Lou Harrison violin concerto; an ongoing collaboration with choreographer Pam Tanowitz has lead to several of her concert works being choreographed with major dance companies across the US including the Nashville Ballet and the Miami Ballet. Her interest in improvisation and collective music making has led to the development of her band The Everything Band which comprises 8 composer-performers of varied stylistic backgrounds, including her long-time collaborator, bassist Eleonore Oppenheim, with whom she created the genre-bending improv duo big dog little dog. She is also a founding member of the Blacknificent 7, a composers collective focused on presenting and supporting the works of Black composers through concert curation, scholarship, and mentorship.
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At the heart of Montgomery’s work is a deep sense of community enrichment and a desire to create opportunities for young artists. During her tenure at the Chicago Symphony, she began the Young Composers Initiative which supports high school-aged youth in creating and presenting their works, including regular tutorials, reading sessions, and public performances. Her curatorial work engages a diverse community of concertgoers and aims to highlight the works of underrepresented composers in an effort to broaden audience experiences in classical music spaces.
Her growing body of work includes solo, chamber, vocal, and orchestral works, as well as an opera in development with Lincoln Center Live and The Metropolitan Opera which explores family histories and the impact of her mother, playwright and actress Robbie McCauley, on the telling of American historical narratives. Her music has been heard on global stages across the US, Canada, Central America, Europe, and Asia, from the Hong Kong Cultural Center, to the BBC Proms, Elbphilharmonie, Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall. Recent highlights include The Song of Nzingha (2024) as part of the multi-movement African Queens work composed by the Blacknificent 7; Procession (2024), a percussion concerto written for the principal percussionist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cynthia Yeh; “Space” (2023) as part of the Elements project, commissioned and performed by violinist Joshua Bell; Five Freedom Songs, a song cycle conceived with and written for soprano Julia Bullock, for Sun Valley and Grand Teton Music Festivals, San Francisco, Kansas City, Boston and New Haven Symphony Orchestras, and the Virginia Arts Festival (2021); and I was waiting for the echo of a better day, a site-specific collaboration with Bard SummerScape and Pam Tanowitz Dance (2021).
Montgomery has been recognized with many prestigious awards and fellowships, including the Civitella Ranieri Fellowship, the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, the Leonard Bernstein Award from the ASCAP Foundation, and being named Musical America's 2023 Composer of the Year. Since 1999, she has been affiliated with the Sphinx Organization in a variety of roles including composer-in-residence for Sphinx Virtuosi, its professional touring ensemble. A founding member of PUBLIQuartet and a former member of the Catalyst Quartet, Montgomery holds degrees from The Juilliard School and New York University and is currently a doctoral candidate in music composition at Princeton University.
For more information visit www.jessiemontgomery.com
October 2024 – Please do not edit without permission.
Videos
I was waiting for the echo of a better day
Choreography by Pam TanowitzMusic by Jessie Montgomery and Big Dog Little Dog
Works
For a complete list of available works, please visit Notation Central.
For rental inquiries, perusal scores, licensing, video synchronization requests, or other questions related to existing works, please contact Philip Rothman, NYC Music Services: philip@nycmusicservices.com
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Rhapsody No. 1 (2014) Score
Written for Jessie Montgomery’s debut album, Strum: Music for Strings
Instrumentation: solo violin/solo viola
Premiere: June, 2014, Jessie Montgomery, violin, Cornelia Street Cafe, New York, NY
Duration - 7 minutes
Rhapsody No. 2 (2020) ScoreWritten for Michi Wiancko on the album Planetary Candidate
Instrumentation: solo violin/solo viola
Premiere: September 2020, Michi Wiancko, violin
Duration - 5 minutes
Cadenzas for Haydn Cello Concerto in D Major (2014) ScoreInstrumentation: solo cello
Premiere: April 2014, Christine Lamprea and Delphi Chamber Orchestra, New Haven, CT
Duration - Movement I., 1 minute, 20 seconds; Movement II., 30 seconds -
Strum (2006; revised 2012) Score
Commissioned by: Community MusicWorks; revision by the Sphinx Organization
Instrumentation: string quartet or string quintet (also available for string orchestra)
Premiere: April 2006; revision in February 2012, The Providence String Quartet; The Catalyst Quartet; Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, MIDuration - 7 Minutes
Voodoo Dolls (2008) ScoreCommissioned by: JUMP! Dance Company of Rhode Island
Instrumentation: string quartetPremiere: June 2008, The Providence String Quartet, The Carriage House, Providence, RIDuration - 5 minutes
Starburst (2012, arranged for chamber ensemble 2020 by Jannina Norpoth) Score
Commissioned by: the Sphinx Organization
Instrumentation: 2 flutes, 2 clarinets, piano, 2 violins, viola, violoncelloDuration - 3 minutes
Break Away (2013) ScoreCommissioned by: PUBLIQuartet for the Music of Now Marathon
Instrumentation: string quartet
Premiere: February 2013, PUBLIQuartet, Symphony Space, New York, NYDuration - 12 minutes
Source Code (2013) ScoreCommissioned by: the Isaiah Fund for New Initiatives in partnership with Symphony Space
Instrumentation: string quartet (also available for string orchestra)
Premiere: November 2013, The Cassatt Quartet, Symphony Space, New York, NYDuration - 8 Minutes
In Color (2014)Commissioned by Bob Stewart
Instrumentation: tuba and string quartet
Premiere: September 2014, PUBLIQuartet and Bob Stewart, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, New York, NYDuration - 11 minutes
Duo for Violin and Cello (2015) PerformanceInstrumentation: violin and cello
Duration - 11 minutes
Performed by: Ensemble Pi members Airi Yoshioka, violin Alexis Gerlach, celloD Major Jam! (2016) Score
Instrumentation: student string quartet and string accompaniment
Derived from work with the Catalyst Quartet and students in the Seattle Music Partners programVOCALDuration - 3 minutes
Lunar Songs (2019) ScoreCommissioned by ASCAP for the Leonard Bernstein Centennial
Instrumentation: voice and string quintet
Text: J. Mae BarizoDuration - 7 minutes
Peace (2020) PerformanceInstrumentation: violin and piano or clarinet and piano
Commissioned by Victoria Robey OBE for Elena Urioste and Tom Poster, premiered as part of #UriPosteJukeBoxDuration - 4 minutes
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I Want To Go Home, African American Spiritual (2015) Score
Instrumentation: soprano and string orchestra (or string quintet)
Premiere: December 29, 2015; Julia Bullock and Loisaida Collaborative, Trinity Wall Street 12th Night Festival, NYCDuration - 4 minutes
Danse Africane (2016) Score
Commissioned by: Young People's Chorus of New York, Transient Glory Series
Instrumentation: youth chorus, SSAA
Premiere: November 4, 2016, Young People's Chorus of New York; National Sawdust, NYC
Premiere: May 2015, Community MusicWorks Players, Southside Cultural Center, Providence, RILoisaida, I love you (2016) Score
Commissioned by: 5 Borough Music Festival: 5 Borough Songbook, Volume II
Instrumentation: mezzo soprano and cello
Premiere: February 11, 2017, Jennifer Johnson-Cano, mezzo; Kivie Cahn-Lipman, cello; The DiMenna Center, NYCDuration - 5 minutes
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Starburst (2012) Score
Commissioned by: the Sphinx Organization
Instrumentation: string orchestra
Premiere: September 2012, The Sphinx Virtuosi, New World Center, Miami, FLDuration - 3 minutes
Strum (2006; revised 2012) ScoreCommissioned by: Community MusicWorks; revision by the Sphinx Organization
Instrumentation: string orchestra
Premiere: April 2006; revision in February 2012, The Providence String Quartet; The Catalyst Quartet; Hill Auditorium, Ann Arbor, MIDuration - 7 Minutes
Source Code (2013) ScoreCommissioned by: the Isaiah Fund for New Initiatives in partnership with Symphony Space
Instrumentation: string orchestra
Premiere: November 2013, The Cassatt Quartet, Symphony Space, New York, NYDuration - 8 Minutes
Banner (2014) ScoreCommissioned by: the Sphinx Organization and the Joyce Foundation
Instrumentation: solo string quartet and string orchestra or solo string quartet with chamber orchestra (2d1.1.1.1.--1.1.0.0.--timp.perc.--strings)
Premiere: September, 2014, New World Center, Miami, FLDuration - 8 Minutes
Soul Force (2015) Score
Commissioned by: The Dream Unfinished, a benefit for civil rights
Instrumentation: 2222--4331--timp--2 perc--strings
Premiere: July 2015, James Blachly, conductor, Centennial Memorial Temple, NYCDuration - 8 minutes
Caught by the Wind (2016) ScoreCommissioned by: The Albany Symphony, American Music Festival
Instrumentation: 2232--4331--2 perc--strings
Premiere: July 2015, James Blachly, conductor, Centennial Memorial Temple, NYCDuration - 10 minutes
Records from a Vanishing City (2016) ScoreCommissioned by: Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
Instrumentation: 112*2--2200--timp--strings
Premiere: October 27, 2016, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium, NYCDuration - 14 minutes
Coincident Dances (2017)Commissioned by: Chicago Sinfonietta
Instrumentation: 2(picc)22(bcl)2--2231--timp--3 perc--strings
Premiere: September 16, 2017, Chicago Sinfonietta, Wentz Concert Hall, Naperville, ILDuration - 12 minutesFILM MUSIC
Shift, Change, Turn (2019)
Commissioned by: Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Instrumentation: 1(picc)11(eb)1--1100--timp--strings
Premiere: September 26, 2019, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, New York, NYDuration - 12 minutes
I Have Something to Say (2020)Commissioned by the Cathedral Choral Society and the Cincinnati May Festival
Instrumentation: 2(picc)222--4031--timp--1 perc--celesta--strings--SATB chorus--children’s choir
Premiere: March 13, 2022, Cathedral Choral Society, Washington, DCDuration - 8 minutes
Five Freedom Songs (2021)Co-Commissioned by: Sun Valley Music Festival, San Francisco Symphony, Boston Symphony Orchestra; Andris Nelsons, Music Director, Grand Teton Music Festival, Kansas City Symphony, New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Arts Festival
Instrumentation: voice, percussion (1 player), strings
Premiere: August 7, 2021, Sun Valley Music Festival, Ketchum, IDDuration - 20 minutes
L.E.S. Characters, Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (2021)Commissioned by the Grant Park Music Festival, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, CityMusic Cleveland, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Instrumentation: 2(picc)2(eh)22(cbn)--alto sax--2200--timp--3 perc--harp--strings--solo viola
Premiere: October 23, 2021, Masumi Per Rostad, viola, with Orlando Philharmonic, Orlando, FLDuration - 20 minutes
Hymn for Everyone (2021)Commissioned by Riccardo Muti, Zell Music Director, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Made possible through the generous support of Helen Zell
Co-Commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra and the Music Academy of the West
Instrumentation: 2(picc)2(eh)22(cbn)--2231--timp--3 perc--strings
Premiere: April 28, 2022, Chicago Symphony, Chicago, ILDuration - 12 minutes
Rounds (2022)Commissioned by Art of the Piano Foundation for pianist Awadagin Pratt
Co-Commissioned by Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, IRIS Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Instrumentation: piano solo, strings
Premiere: March 27, 2022, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, Hilton Head, SC; Awadagin Pratt, soloistDuration - 15 minutes
Overture (2022)Instrumentation: 2222--2220--timp--strings
Duration - 5 minutes
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Sketch (composer)
Lou Hamou-Lhdaj; short animation; NYU Tisch
Instrumentation: chamber orchestra
Homecoming (composer)Josiah Signor and Gritty Committee; short film; NYU Tisch
Instrumentation: acoustic guitar and string orchestra
Bubble Tree (composer)Ran Jing; short animation; NYU Tisch
Strings (2014) (music supervisor)Taner Jarman and Jarman Entertainment
Press
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Hymn for Everyone
Commissioned by Riccardo Muti, Zell Music Director, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Made possible through the generous support of Helen Zell
Co-Commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra and the Music Academy of the West
Instrumentation: 2(picc)2(eh)22(cbn)--2231--timp--3 perc--strings
Premiere: April 28, 2022, Chicago Symphony, Chicago, IL
Duration - 12 minutes
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i was waiting for the echo of a better day
In collaboration with choreographer Pam Tanowitz
World premiere at Bard SummerScape 2021 – July 8-10, 2021
https://fishercenter.bard.edu/events/i-was-waiting-for-the-echo-of-a-better-day/
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Five Freedom Songs
Written for Julia Bullock - work for voice, percussion and string orchestra
Co-commissioned by Sun Valley Music Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony Orchestra, and Virginia Arts Festival
Link to materials / lyric texts
Premiere performances:
Aug 7, 2021 - Sun Valley Music Festival - World premiere, Alasdair Neale
Aug 11, 12, 13, 2021 - Grand Teton Music Festival, Sir Donald Runnicles
May 17, 2022 - San Francisco Symphony
TBD (Summer 2022 exact date TBD) - Boston Symphony Orchestra
other co-commissioners, still TBD
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Rounds
Commissioned by Art of the Piano Foundation for pianist Awadagin Pratt
Co-Commissioned by Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, IRIS Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, and St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
Instrumentation: piano solo, strings
Premiere: March 27, 2022, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, Hilton Head, SC; Awadagin Pratt, soloist
Duration - 15 minutes
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L.E.S. Characters
Commissioned by the Grant Park Music Festival, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, CityMusic Cleveland, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Instrumentation: 2(picc)2(eh)22(cbn)--alto sax--2200--timp--3 perc--harp--strings--solo viola
Premiere: October 23, 2021, Masumi Per Rostad, viola, with Orlando Philharmonic, Orlando, FL
Duration - 20 minutes
