Composer violinist Jessie Montgomery awarded $50,000 Sphinx Medal

Composer violinist Jessie Montgomery has been announced as one of three recipients of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, to be officially awarded in a ceremony in march 2020. 

Montgomery will receive the medal alongside trombonist Weston Sprott and bass-baritone Davóne Tines, and each will receive a $50,000 career grant.

‘The Sphinx Medal of Excellence is the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization, recognizing extraordinary classical musicians of color,’ noted Abigayl Venman, Sphinx’s director of leadership.

‘Along with a $50,000 career grant, Sphinx annually awards the Medals of Excellence to three artists who, early in their career, demonstrate artistic excellence, outstanding work ethic, a spirit of determination, and an ongoing commitment to leadership and their communities.’

Montgomery is a graduate of Juilliard and New York University, and currently a Graduate Fellow in Music Composition at Princeton University. She has been affiliated with the Sphinx Organisation since 1999 and is composer-in-residence of the Sphinx Virtuosi. Past distinctions include the ASCAP Foundation’s Leonard Bernstein Award.

She is a member of the Catalyst Quartet and performs regularly with Silkroad Ensemble and Sphinx Virtuosi.

Previous recipients of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence award include violinists Tai Murray and Elena Urioste

• Listen to ‘Banner’, Jessie Montgomery’s 2014 tribute to the 200th Anniversary of the Star Spangled Banner