Chicago Symphony Orchestra Appoints Composer-in-Residence

Composer, violinist, and educator Jessie Montgomery will serve in the position for the next three years

A winner of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence and the ASCAP Foundation's Leonard Berstein Award, Jessie Montgomery is described as "turbulent, widely colorful and exploding with life" by the Washington Post.

As Composer-in-Residence, she will receive commissions to write three symphonic works for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO). She will also curate MusicNow, CSO's annual contemporary music series, as well as receive commissions for several new chamber pieces in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons.

"It is an incredible opportunity and a tremendous honor for me to serve as the new Mead Composer-in-Residence of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra," said Montgomery in a statement. "I am deeply grateful to Maestro Muti for having faith in my experience and perspective, for giving me the chance to bring new and exciting music to the CSO, and for sharing his artistry to premiere my own works for symphony orchestra.

"In my curatorial role, I’m particularly excited about engaging more closely with the new music community in and around Chicago, as well as bridging connections between the CSO and other artists, especially composers with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and approaches to music creation. I am truly honored to contribute to the CSO’s legacy at this time in history, and I can’t wait to get started!”

“The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has an important tradition of sharing new music with audiences," said Riccardo Muti, Music Director of the CSO. "I am looking forward to continuing that tradition and introducing audiences to the music of composer Jessie Montgomery, whose work I have come to know and admire, in making this selection of the orchestra’s next composer-in-residence.”