Biography
Composer Jessie Montgomery blends elements of the classical canon with an array of vernacular traditions, frequently underscoring themes of social justice, while maintaining an active presence as a chamber musician and educator. Born in New York on December 8, 1981, she grew up with composer Ed Montgomery as her father and playwright Robbie McCauley as her mother, immersed from childhood in a culturally dynamic neighborhood alive with artistic and political currents. She completed undergraduate studies in violin performance at the Juilliard School before earning a second bachelor’s degree, this one in composition for film and multimedia, from New York University in 2012.
By that point she had already forged ties with Detroit’s Sphinx Organization, which promotes the professional development of young African American and Latin American string players and composers; several grants from the group supported her work, and she later served as its composer-in-residence. During the initial phase of her career she balanced performance and pedagogy, establishing the PUBLIQuartet string ensemble in 2010, joining the Catalyst Quartet, and instructing at Community MusicWorks in Providence, Rhode Island.
Over time Montgomery has concentrated more exclusively on composition, fusing classical materials with contemporary pop, folk idioms, and global traditions. Her 2014 piece Banner interweaves The Star-Spangled Banner with protest songs and anthems drawn from diverse cultures. Ensembles that have presented her music include the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and London’s Philharmonia Orchestra. Commissions have come from institutions ranging from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. By the mid-2020s more than a dozen of her scores had been commercially recorded, among them the 2023 Azica release Jessie Montgomery: Strum - Music for Strings.
By that point she had already forged ties with Detroit’s Sphinx Organization, which promotes the professional development of young African American and Latin American string players and composers; several grants from the group supported her work, and she later served as its composer-in-residence. During the initial phase of her career she balanced performance and pedagogy, establishing the PUBLIQuartet string ensemble in 2010, joining the Catalyst Quartet, and instructing at Community MusicWorks in Providence, Rhode Island.
Over time Montgomery has concentrated more exclusively on composition, fusing classical materials with contemporary pop, folk idioms, and global traditions. Her 2014 piece Banner interweaves The Star-Spangled Banner with protest songs and anthems drawn from diverse cultures. Ensembles that have presented her music include the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, and London’s Philharmonia Orchestra. Commissions have come from institutions ranging from New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. By the mid-2020s more than a dozen of her scores had been commercially recorded, among them the 2023 Azica release Jessie Montgomery: Strum - Music for Strings.
Albums