“Since her appointment in the spring of 2021, Montgomery’s music has popped up like wildflowers on classical and new music programs locally. In the 2023-24 season now ending, here are…
“Montgomery’s new piece highlights, in her own words, “steadiness and relentlessness.” She writes in her program notes that the work demonstrates, “the unique role percussion can play as both a…
“Montgomery sees her appointment and Grammy award, both selected by her peers, as a commitment to continue ‘…to create visibility, to create more opportunities, more equality, more acknowledgment for Black…
“Speaking to the Tribune in December, Chicago Symphony composer-in-residence Jessie Montgomery teasingly called 2024, the last year of her Chicago Symphony residency, her “year of percussion.” And oh, how it…
“[Jessie Montgomery and Cynthia Yeh] clearly stirred up an intriguing, richly dramatic work for the orchestra in which the bold, mood-shifting sounds of percussion (on a drum set, djembe/bass drum,…
“Yeh approached Montgomery, the recent recipient of the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, about a possible concerto two years ago or so, and the composer was enthusiastic about…
“The second half of the concert was reserved for Jessie Montgomery, both as a composer and as a violinist. First, Sean Connors introduced the Suite from In Color, a work he transcribed…
“Montgomery was a serene presence amid the flurry of percussive punctuations and complex rhythms around her. While the first movement featured devilish double stops in the unaccompanied cadenza, her most…
“The jaw-dropping highlight of the program, which repeats Friday at the Green Music Center and Saturday at the Presidio Theatre, was pianist Awadagin Pratt’s performance of Jessie Montgomery’s Rounds. Re-reading my…
“Rounds by Jessie Montgomery, who is one of my good friends, is not only the piece that made Jessie a recent Grammy Award winner for best contemporary classical composition, but…
“The first selection was Chicago Symphony Orchestra composer-in-residence, D-Composed friend and Grammy-winner Jessie Montgomery’s Break Away: Lilting and Songbird. Like all the short pieces in this vibrant program, this one is…
“During her three seasons as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Mead Composer-in-Residence, Jessie Montgomery has left a profound impression on the orchestra and the city’s cultural scene. Her many accomplishments include…
“The New York premiere of Jessie Montgomery’s Musings for two violins is easily my new favourite work of hers and was spectacularly performed by CMS violinists Paul Huang and Danbi…
“Playing to a City Recital Hall audience packed out on two of its three tiers, charismatic Omega regular violinist Véronique Serret took solo honours in that work as well as…
“Inspired by West African drumming patterns, Jessie Montgomery’s VooDoo Dolls is her contribution to a suite of dances each dedicated to different childhood toys, including Russian dolls, marionettes, rag dolls, and Barbie.…
“The program opens with Strum by 2024 GRAMMY-winning composer, violinist and educator Jessie Montgomery, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s current Mead Composer-in-Residence, who has been affiliated with the Sphinx Organization since…
“On Thursday, May 16, 2024 at 7:30pm in Zankel Hall, Carnegie Hall will present The Knights. Conducted by Artistic Director Eric Jacobsen and featuring three pieces in their New York City or…
“Last month, Pilsen-based composer and violinist Jessie Montgomery made history as the first Black composer awarded the Grammy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, winning for her work Rounds. The recognition feels like an appropriately…
“There is a progression to establishing yourself in music and up until now, I’ve felt like I’ve been finding my voice this whole time, especially in the orchestral world, and…
“Composer/violinist Jessie Montgomery hosted the latest installment of Music Now on Sunday afternoon at Symphony Center. Montgomery is the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Mead Composer-in-Residence. Using CSO musicians and conductor Lidiya…
