Jessie Montgomery (born December 8, 1981) is an acclaimed American composer, chamber musician, and educator known for her vibrant and emotionally rich music. Her compositions center on vernacular traditions, improvisation, expression, and themes of social justice. A New York native, Montgomery draws inspiration from her multicultural heritage, classical traditions, and contemporary influences, often blending elements of jazz and folk into her compositions. Her deeply expressive works are described as “turbulent, wildly colorful and exploding with life” (The Washington Post) and are frequently performed by leading orchestras and ensembles worldwide. Montgomery earned a bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the Juilliard School and a master’s degree in composition for Film and Multimedia from New York University in 2012. Since 1999, Montgomery has been involved with the Sphinx Organization, a nonprofit supporting young African American and Latino string players. A recipient of multiple Sphinx awards, she now serves as composer-in-residence for the Sphinx Virtuosi, the organization’s professional touring ensemble. Montgomery’s music reflects her commitment to exploring themes of social justice, identity, and community, making her a powerful voice in today’s classical music landscape.

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Montgomery's music reflects her own life as an African American woman, and also draws on various other cultures and influences, including Zimbabwean dance, samba, swing, and techno.

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Jessie Montgomery’s Strum for string quartet is a spirited and uplifting work that celebrates rhythmic vitality, texture, and community. Built around a recurring strumming pattern that requires the performer, at times, to hold the instrument guitar-style, the piece weaves together layers of rhythmic motion and lyrical warmth. With its rich interplay of pizzicato and bowed textures, Strum radiates joy, movement, and unity, capturing Montgomery’s distinctive fusion of classical tradition and vernacular expression.

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“Strum is the culminating result of several versions of a string quintet I wrote in 2006. It was originally written for the Providence String Quartet and guests of Community MusicWorks Players, then arranged for string quartet in 2008 with several small revisions. In 2012 the piece underwent its final revisions with a rewrite of both the introduction and the ending for the Catalyst Quartet in a performance celebrating the 15th annual Sphinx Competition.

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Originally conceived for the formation of a cello quintet, the voicing is often spread wide over the ensemble, giving the music an expansive quality of sound. Within Strum I utilized texture motives, layers of rhythmic or harmonic ostinati that string together to form a bed of sound for melodies to weave in and out. The strumming pizzicato serves as a texture motive and the primary driving rhythmic underpinning of the piece. Drawing on American folk idioms and the spirit of dance and movement, the piece has a kind of narrative that begins with fleeting nostalgia and transforms into ecstatic celebration.”

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— Jessie Montgomery