Jessie Montgomery: Reflections, upcoming events, and an overview of the coming year...and as always, thank you for listening!

Jessie Montgomery

Violinist and Composer

Jessie Montgomery writes:

2018

collaboration | new works | concerts

January 10
International Society for the Performing Arts Conference
Showcase performance of Treemonisha
10:00am

January 12 - 14
St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands - Catalyst Quartet Residency at The Forum. Hemispheres: South America program. Info...

January 12, 13, 14
St. Paul, MN - SPCO performs Records from a Vanishing City
Ordway Center - Various times
tickets

February 9
NYC - New York Youth Symphony young composer workshop

February 10
NYC - Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra 
featuring Catalyst Quartet and Starburst for string orchestra
Fort Washington Collegiate Church, 3:00pm

February 16
NYC - Queens College
Catalyst Quartet Residency

February 17
NYC - String Orchestra of Brooklyn performs Records from a Vanishing City
Saint Ann's Church, 8:00pm
tickets

February 20 - 22
Lake Forest, IL
Catalyst Quartet Residency at Lake Forest College

February 26 - March 11
Catalyst Quartet Northern California Tour
Dates, cities, tickets

March 22
NYC - Ecstatic Music Festival
Big Dog little dog
Kaufman Center, 7:30pm
tickets

Focus on the positive

SO! I won't go on and on about how crappy 2017 was. We all know what happened, and a lot of it makes us very frustrated and weary. BUT! as we close out one year and begin anew, I would like to share some highlights from last year and also give an overview of some things we may look forward to in light of the changes we are all facing right now. Optimism, focus, and care of self and community have become obvious governing forces, and it is from these vantages that I intend to create work moving forward. I hope you will join me as we charge ahead into 2018! Read on for reflections, upcoming events, and an overview of the coming year...and as always, thank you for listening!

- Jessie

COMING UP: January - March

Treemonisha - An adaptation of Scott Joplin's best-known opera

Currently in production with Toronto-based theater company Volcano Theatre, this project brings Scott Joplin's opera from 1911 into the present, with an adapted libretto by Leah Simone-Bowen that strengthens the main character as the black feminist hero of her day, and a new arrangement by myself and my violinist/music creator-sister Jannina Norpoth that brings together elements of jazz, west african, and western classical and contemporary styles. We go into our first big workshop in Toronto this January. Premiere slated for 2019. Stay tuned for updates! Learn More...

Records from a Vanishing City gets more air time 

This January, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and String Orchestra of Brooklyn will perform my latest work for symphony orchestra. I am thrilled that the piece will be taking another trip around the sun, again in my hometown and with my new friends in St. Paul. The piece has undergone a few small edits, so if you were at the premiere and are able to make one of these performances, perhaps you might be able to hear the differences! (See sidebar for ticket info)

Catalyst Quartet coming your way!

The Catalysts move into 2018 with our Hemispheres Project: Music of South America and North America. Our programs feature music by Heitor Villa-Lobos, Alberto Ginastera, Diego Vega, Samuel Barber, Philip Glass, Caroline Shaw, Jessie Montgomery, Javier Alvarez and Kevin Puts. Find us in the Virgin Islands, Northern California, Chicago, and our hometown NYC over the next 3 months! Info and Tickets

Big Dog little dog

I am thrilled to announce my new duo project with long-time friend and musical mind-melding sister-friend, bassist Eleonore Oppenheim. We had our first workshop residency this past summer at Avaloch Farm which jump-started our projects for this coming season. Our debut will be at the Ecstatic Music Festival in New York City on March 22. We improvise, we make mood-based songs, we try to connect our experience to "the bigger picture", we have a good time. We look forward to sharing more music with you! Learn More...

The Bigger Picture - a quick overview of 2018

• Residency at The Hermitage - 3 weeks in April in Sarasota, FL to tune up work on my latest string quartet, to be premiered by the Muir Quartet on July 15 as part of the Montana Chamber Music Festival
• Catalyst @HowlHappening - The newly launched New York City concert series by the Catalyst Quartet will continue with performances 0n April 5 and June 7. Stay here for updates
• Music at TheMet with Julia Bullock, Soprano, September and December - Arrangements of slave songs from the United States and songs on text by Langston Hughes to be featured on a program curated by Julia Bullock in partnership with The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Stay tuned for updates on ticket info.