CSO MusicNOW: Montgomery and the Blacknificent 7
The opening of the 2023/24 Chicago Symphony Orchestra MusicNOW season illuminates works by a dynamic collective of Black composers, the Blacknificent 7.
Jessie Montgomery’s “Rounds” receives GRAMMY Nomination for Best Contemporary Composition
Jessie Montgomery’s Rounds is performed by pianist Awadagin Pratt and A Far Cry. Click Read More to view the full list of GRAMMY nominations:
Jessie Montgomery returns to Blair School of Music for masterclass and concert
The November 9 concert event will mark the culmination of a three-year guest residency partnership.
Symphony Magazine, Composers Converse: Jessie Montgomery and Joan Tower in conversation
Montgomery and Tower discuss their cross-generational perspectives on the evolving musical scene, the growing calls for equity and inclusion in music, and what it means to be called “women composers.”
Dallas Morning Review of “Snapshots” World Premiere
DMR describes Snapshots as: “Glowing washes and surges of sound … hypnotic chimings and quasi-chorales … ruminative … A razzle-dazzle performance.”
Praise for Sphinx Virtuosi “Songs for our Times” in Gramophone Magazine
“Divided is Montgomery’s response to the sense of helplessness felt in ‘a world that seems to be in constant crisis’. The solo part is brilliantly negotiated here by principal cellist Tommy Mesa.”
Awadagin Pratt releases STILLPOINT featuring “Rounds”
Pratt’s latest album is a collection of six newly-commissioned works written for piano, the Grammy-winning vocal band Roomful of Teeth, and string orchestra A Far Cry. Now available on all platforms.
Jessie Montgomery and Angelica Sanchez Receive Civitella Ranieri Fellowships
Montgomery says, “It has been great to have the time and space to work on these big projects surrounded by the beauty of the countryside, without the usual distractions that I face in the city.”
CSO Resound Album features “Hymn for Everyone”
The latest Chicago Symphony Orchestra Resound album includes Jessie Montgomery’s “Hymn for Everyone.” Now available for streaming and digital downloads.
Toronto Star Review of Treemonisha
“Jessie Montgomery and Jannina Norpoth’s fresh orchestrations for this production are the first to meet Joplin’s music on its own terms, creating a sound that blends a variety of styles.”
The Globe and Mail Review of Treemonisha
“The split between identities – American, African, daughter, lover, God-fearing, nature-loving – and the anguish resulting from such divides holds much of the power of this reimagined Treemonisha.”
The Knights & Masumi Per Rostad NYC Premiere of L.E.S. Characters, available for streaming on WQXR
Orchestra collective The Knights perform L.E.S. Characters with violist Masumi Per Rostad at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park, June 27th. Listen to the recording on WQXR.