Stephen Montague
Stephen Rowley Montague is an American composer, pianist and conductor who grew up in Idaho, New Mexico, West Virginia and Florida.
Musical statement
"I write music to engage an audience, to seduce them sometimes by stealth with something they know, then taking them somewhere they may never have been.I'm a maverick and, like Henry Cowell, want to live in the whole world of music, not just one corner. My works range from the simple vernacular through high classical to the avant-garde. Variety is my oxygen."
''~ Stephen Montague''
Background
Born in Syracuse, New York in 1943, Stephen Montague lived in Albion, Idaho, from 1947 to 1951, where his father, Dr. Richard Montague was head of music at Southern Idaho College of Education. From 1952 to 1957, they lived in Fairmont, West Virginia, where his father was a professor of music at Fairmont State College, now University, and went on to become professor of music at St. Petersburg College, Florida, from 1959 to 1982. Stephen Montague's brother Dr. John Montague is director of Buffalo Maritime Center, New York.Education
After studying piano, conducting and composition at Florida State University B.M 1965 with Honors, M.M 1967, Stephen Montague received a Doctor of Musical Arts in composition from Ohio State University in 1972. He did additional study in conducting at the Mozarteum, Salzburg, Austria, 1966, computer music at IRCAM, Paris, 1981, and at Stanford University, California, 1984. He was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship/Polish Cultural Grant to work at the Experimental Music Studio of Polish Radio, Warsaw, Poland, 1972–74.Career
Montague was born and educated in the US, but lived in Warsaw, Poland on a Fulbright Fellowship, and since 1974 in London working as a freelance composer, pianist, conductor touring worldwide. His music has been performed at numerous international festivals, including the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London, Royal Festival Hall, the Warsaw Autumn festival, the Paris Festival d'Automne, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Bang On a Can, Adelaide, Hong Kong and Singapore Festivals.He has been commissioned by such sources as the BBC Proms, the Royal Festival Hall, Barbican Centre, New Music Biennale, Birmingham Royal Ballet, the National Portrait Gallery, the Royal Ballet, British Telecom, the Trans Atlantic Arts Consortium, the Calgary Philharmonic, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Chorus, the Hilliard Ensemble, the Smith Quartet, pianist Stephen Kovacevich, percussionist Evelyn Glennie, harpsichordist Elisabeth Chojnacka, the International Computer Music Association and the Changwon International Chamber Music Festival.
As a pianist, he has recorded for many European radio networks and has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. In 1985 he formed a duo with pianist Philip Mead, Montague/Mead Piano Plus which toured internationally. His conducting specialty is 20th- and 21st-century music and has included work with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, and City of London Sinfonia amongst others. In addition, Montague has created multi-channel electroacoustic sound environments in collaboration with the sculptor, Maurice Agis in Agis's large Colorspace and Dreamscape inflatable sculptures, and composed a number of music theatre works for outside spaces such as his Horn Concerto for klaxon horn soloist with an orchestra of automobiles, and Bennett's Bike Concerto for piano soloist, symphonic brass ensemble, percussion and 8 motorcycles for the 2007 World Superbike Championships, Brands Hatch Race Track. He has organised and directed 13 John Cage - Musicircuses including John Cage Centennial celebration performances at [English National Opera, the Old Royal Naval College in 2012, Centre Pompidou-Metz in 2016, and the FSU Museum of Fine Arts 2019. He was the music director for the Royal Opening of The Francis Crick Institute 2016, and organised and directed one of the international Merce Cunningham Centennial dance/music events at Florida State University in 2019.
Although a long-term British resident his compositional influences are transatlantic. He commented in a BBC radio interview: "I have lived in Britain since 1974 but my musical heroes remain American: I admire Charles Ives's unapologetic juxtaposition of vernacular music and the avant-garde, Henry Cowell's irreverent use of fist and arm clusters, the propulsive energy of minimalism, and John Cage's radical dictum that 'all sound is music'. And, like Henry Cowell, I want to live in the whole world of music, not just one corner. I am equally at home writing for a large professional symphony orchestras, chamber groups, solo works, ballet, contemporary dance, music theatre or experimental works like, for example, motorcycles, brass, percussion and piano".
In the UK, Montague was a founder of Sonic Arts Network in 1980, ran the Sonic Arts concert series at London's Institute for Contemporary Art from 1982 to 1986, served as chair of the SPNM during 1993–1997, and was associate composer with The Orchestra of St. Johns, Smith Square, London, 1995 - 97. He has been a guest professor at the University of Texas - Austin, 1992, 1995, 2000, at the University of Auckland, New Zealand in 1997, and visiting professor of composition at Florida State University 2018–19. Recent composer portraits of his music have taken place in London, New York, Chicago, Columbus, Houston, Mexico City, Vienna, Budapest, and Singapore.
His awards include the International Piano Magazine Award: "Best Contemporary Piano Music Recording 2006" for the CD of his piano music Southern Lament on NMC label, Fellow of Leeds College of Music, 2004, Honorary Fellow Trinity College of Music, 2001, Ohio State University Distinguished Alumnus Award, 2000, "Distinction in Computer Music", Ars Electronica Prix, Linz, 1996, the Ernst von Dohnányi Citation for Excellence in Composition, 1995, and "First Prize" at the Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition in 1994.
In addition to his freelance work Montague was the New Music Associate at Cambridge University's Kettle's Yard Art Gallery, 2010–2012 where he curated Kettle's Yard Gallery's monthly contemporary music series. He also teaches composition and orchestration, at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance London, and is published by United Music Publishing
Montague's works appear on CDs from NMC Records, Signum, ASV Records, Continuum, Centaur, Point Records, Starkland and others.
Works
Orchestral- From the Ether orchestra
- The King Dances orchestra
- Invictus orchestra
- Lux in tenebrae large orchestra/chorus, 5 conductors
- Night Eternal strings, music box
- Night Tracks string ensemble
- Beyond the Stone Horizon chamber orchestra
- Intrada 1631 brass choir, 4 drummers, organ, woodwinds, surround strings, multiple triangles
- Snowscape string orchestra
- The Creatures Indoors narrator, chamber orchestra. Poems: Jo Shapcott
- Dark Sun - August, 1945 large orchestra, chorus, 3 radios
- Snakebite chamber orchestra
- Prologue orchestra
- From the White Edge of Phrygia orchestra
- At the White Edge of Phrygia chamber orchestra
- Sound Round orchestra, electronics
- Ritual: Ode to Changwon prepared piano , string orchestra, music box
- Phrygian Ferment harpsichord, strings, percussion, tape
- Bike Concerto solo piano, 8 motorcycles, 13 brass, 2 perc.
- Mephisto violin solo, chamber orchestra
- Disparate Dances flute, harp soloists, chamber orchestra
- Horn Concerto solo klaxon horn, orchestra of vintage automobiles
- Concerto for Piano and Orchestra piano, chamber orchestra
- A Toy Symphony 6 amateur soloists, chamber orchestra
- Poor Baby Jesus SATB a cappella
- Wilful Chants chorus, symphonic brass choir, 2 percussionists
- Requiem: “The Trumpets Sounded Calling Them to the Other Side” soprano soloist, SATB chorus, orchestra, organ, 3 off stage percussion groups, fog horns
- The Poison Tree baritone, bell, piano. Text: William Blake
- Cage: Variations I for Stephen Montague realisation for SATB chorus
- The Carnal & the Crane soprano, baritone soloists, SATB chorus, organ, chamber or full orchestra
- I Wonder for soprano soloist, SATB chorus, organ, chamber or full orchestra
- Cantique de Noël Adophe Adam/S Montague for sop & baritone soloists, SATB chorus, organ, chamber or full orchestra
- Varshavian Autumn SATB chorus, chamber orchestra
- Wild Nights soprano, clarinet, viola, piano
- Boombox Virelai counter-tenor, tenor, baritone, bass
- Tigida Pipa SATB, wood blocks, claves, tape
- Red Dawn violin, piano
- Paramell I version: muted trumpet, muted piano
- Introit & Flourish brass quintet, or brass choir, timpani, percussion
- Dead Cat Bounce ‘open score’ chamber group
- Three Fables for narrator, fl, vln, vla, vc, harp, perc
- A Dragon Flies for violin & piano
- Chorale for the Cauldrons of Hell for large mixed ensemble
- The Hammer Hawk for piano, violin, viola, cello, optional double bass
- Folk Dances violin, piano
- Rim Fire for percussion quartet
- Philup Glass- a Lullaby for Wine Glasses 4 wine glasses, 2 performers
- Black ‘n Blues piano 4 hands, marimba, pillow
- March Militaire military marching band
- Thule Ultima woodwind quintet mouthpieces
- Behold a Pale Horse version: organ, 2tpts, 2hns, 2trbs, tuba
- Silence: John, Yvar & Tim prepared string quartet, prepared piano, 2 tapes, live-electronics
- String Quartet No. 1: in memoriam Barry Anderson & Tomasz Sikorski quartet, live electronics, tape
- Paramell VI solo piano, fl, cl, vlc or perc
- Paramell V 2 pianos
- Paramell I muted trombone, muted piano
- Eine Kleine Klangfarben Gigue keyboard, open instrumentation
- Quiet Washes 3 trombones 3 pianos, or harps
- Eyes of Ambush 1-5 instruments/voices, digital delay
- A Birthday Party for Merce a theatre piece for 12 singers and 40 saxophones,
- A Dinner Party for John Cage music theatre work for 12 singers
- Musicircus 200 performers, English National Opera event
- Apparitions late night multi-media event for UK castles
- Texas Pulp Fiction 3 speakers playing cow bells, beer bottles
- Chew Chow Chatterbox 4 percussionists at dinner
- Berceuse for prepared piano
- Raga Capriccio for toy piano, tape
- Beguiled for piano
- Nun Mul for piano
- Almost a Lullaby for toy piano, music box
- Toccare Incandescent organ
- Dark Train
- UnCaged: January, 2004 open instrumentation/voices
- Quartet graphic/text score
- Quintet graphic/ text score
- Trio graphic/text score
- The King Dances orchestra
- Prologue orchestra
- From the White Edge of Phrygia orchestra
- The West of the Imagination