Jessie Montgomery was born and raised in New York City, New York in a lower Manhattan neighborhood where artists gathered and lived.  Her mother was in the theatre and a storyteller, and her father was a musician.  Her early years were filled with visits to fairs, carnivals, art showings, and various performances.  She studied violin early and later earned a degree from Juilliard in violin performance.  Her Master’s degree is in composition for film and multimedia from New York University.  Since 1999, she has been involved with the Sphinx Organization, a nonprofit that supports African American and Latino string musicians.  Some of Montgomery’s compositions have won awards from Sphinx.  

“Strum Quartet” was originally conceived as a cello quintet and underwent multiple revisions between 2006 and 2012.  It begins with a strummed ostinato where the instruments are held like a guitar.  From there new elements are added including a beautiful cello melody.  Harmonic and rhythmic repeated patterns are interspersed and layered with melodies inspired by American folk idioms.  It all concludes in an enthusiastic climax.