Bruce Montgomery (entertainer)
Encyclopedia
Bruce Eglinton Montgomery (June 20, 1927 - June 21, 2008) was an American composer, author, musical theater performer and painter; and a conductor and director, particularly of the Gilbert and Sullivan
comic opera
s.
"Monty", as he was known around the Philadelphia performing community, was perhaps best known for his long tenure as director of musical activities at the University of Pennsylvania
, as Artistic Director for the Gilbert & Sullivan Players of Philadelphia for 32 years, and as the director of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Chester County.
, the son of James Montgomery, a professional operatic tenor
of Scottish descent. His mother, Constance, was also musical. He had a brother, James, and two sisters, Elizabeth and Constance. He showed early enthusiasm for opera
and appeared in the Philadelphia Orchestra Opera Company’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan
's comic opera Trial by Jury
at the age of five. He also wrote songs as early as age five. His parents took him out of school each Friday to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra
at the Academy of Music. Montomery graduated from Germantown Friends School
in 1945, and he earned his bachelor's degree in painting and music comoposition in 1950 from Bethany College
in Lindsborg, Kansas
. For his senior project, he wrote and starred in a musical comedy
.
as an assistant director of the now defunct Cultural Olympics. In 1951, he was drafted and sent to Korea to serve in the 45th infantry division of the U.S. Army during the Korean War
. This experience inspired him to write Why Me? in 1967, a musical set in the Korean War, and Herodotus Fragments for symphony orchestra and two choruses, which the Philadelphia Orchestra first performed in 1970. While serving in the Korean War, Montgomerey had occasion to entertain troops in Japan. Montgomery was appointed director of musical activities at the University of Pennsylvania in 1956.
Also in 1956, Montgomery took over as director of the Penn Glee Club and served in that position for 44 years until his retirement in 2000, writing, directing, choreographing and conducting their shows, and bringing the glee club on tours to 30 countries on five continents. He published a memoir in 2005 entitled Brothers, Sing On!: My Half-Century Around The World With The Penn Glee Club through University of Pennsylvania Press
, relating many of his favorite stories from his tenure and travels as director of the Glee Club, as well as reminiscences about his Gilbert and Sullivan activities. For the Glee Club, Montgomery composed the "Academic Festive Anthem", using words by Benjamin Franklin
. He also helped to create the Penn Singers as a light opera and musical theatre company in 1971 and continued to serve as their director until his death. In addition, he also served as director and/or music director of Mask and Wig
, the University Band, and Penn Players. By 1980, he was head of 10 musical groups at the university, retiring from most of them in 2000. His only remaining official position at Penn as of 2008 was directing the Penn Singers' spring shows.
Montgomery's father founded the Philadelphia Gilbert & Sullivan Players in 1950, and Montgomery took over the group upon his father's death in 1955. He remained the group's Artistic Director for over three decades. Under his guidance, the group produced over 65 productions. He then served as stage director for the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Chester County in West Chester, Pennsylvania
from 1987 until 2007. He both directed and performed in each of the 14 Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Montgomery was also a composer and lyricist whose works have been performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
, and many other performing groups. He also provided occasional narration at Philadelphia Orchestra performances. The music he wrote for Gilbert and Sullivan's Thespis
in the 1950s, for which Sullivan's original music is mostly lost, was produced successfully by him on several occasions, including at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
in 2000.
After his 1963 "Irish folk opera" Spindrift, was performed by the Penn Players, he wrote the music and lyrics for a 1964 off-Broadway
show, The Amorous Flea
with a book by Jerry Devine, based on Molière
's L'École des femmes (The School for Wives) is still performed occasionally. In 1972, he wrote An Orpheus Triptych for the Orpheus Club of Philadelphia
, a choral setting based on poems to Orpheus
. Montgomery was also a frequent guest conductor for the Orpheus Club.
In 2005, Montgomery received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Bethany College. He was named Man of the Year by the Friars Club of Philadelphia in 2006. He also served on the boards of the Theodore H. Presser Foundation and the Edwin B. Garrigues Foundation. Montgomery's final public appearance was on May 10, 2008, at a dedication gala for the newly renamed Bruce Montgomery Theater in The Annenberg Center at The University of Pennsylvania featuring his compositions.
Montgomery, a resident of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, died of heart failure at his summer home on Spruce Head Island, Maine
, the day after his 81st birthday. On October 5, 2008, a memorial service was held for Montgomery in the Irvine Auditorium on the University of Pennsylvania campus, where he conducted many concerts.
In 2010 Montgomery's family established the Bruce Montgomery Foundation for the Arts as a 501(c)(3) public charity to provide financial support to individuals and organizations seeking assistance for creative endeavors and special projects in the performing arts that reflect and perpetuate Montgomery's artistic vision. (See www.brucemontgomeryfoundation.org).
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
comic opera
Comic opera
Comic opera denotes a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending.Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a new operatic genre, opera buffa, emerged as an alternative to opera seria...
s.
"Monty", as he was known around the Philadelphia performing community, was perhaps best known for his long tenure as director of musical activities at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, as Artistic Director for the Gilbert & Sullivan Players of Philadelphia for 32 years, and as the director of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Chester County.
Early years
Montgomery was born and grew up in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, the son of James Montgomery, a professional operatic tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
of Scottish descent. His mother, Constance, was also musical. He had a brother, James, and two sisters, Elizabeth and Constance. He showed early enthusiasm for opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
and appeared in the Philadelphia Orchestra Opera Company’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
's comic opera Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury
Trial by Jury is a comic opera in one act, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was first produced on 25 March 1875, at London's Royalty Theatre, where it initially ran for 131 performances and was considered a hit, receiving critical praise and outrunning its...
at the age of five. He also wrote songs as early as age five. His parents took him out of school each Friday to hear the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
at the Academy of Music. Montomery graduated from Germantown Friends School
Germantown Friends School
Germantown Friends School is a coeducational K-12 school in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States under the supervision of Germantown Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends . It is governed by a School Committee whose members are drawn mainly...
in 1945, and he earned his bachelor's degree in painting and music comoposition in 1950 from Bethany College
Bethany College (Kansas)
Bethany College is a small liberal arts college located in Lindsborg, Kansas and is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America . The college's mission is to educate, develop and challenge individuals to reach for truth and excellence as they lead loves of faith, learning and service...
in Lindsborg, Kansas
Lindsborg, Kansas
Lindsborg is a city in McPherson County, Kansas, USA. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,458. It is known for its association with Swedish heritage and the biennial Svensk Hyllningsfest...
. For his senior project, he wrote and starred in a musical comedy
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
.
Career
Montgomery began his career at the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
as an assistant director of the now defunct Cultural Olympics. In 1951, he was drafted and sent to Korea to serve in the 45th infantry division of the U.S. Army during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. This experience inspired him to write Why Me? in 1967, a musical set in the Korean War, and Herodotus Fragments for symphony orchestra and two choruses, which the Philadelphia Orchestra first performed in 1970. While serving in the Korean War, Montgomerey had occasion to entertain troops in Japan. Montgomery was appointed director of musical activities at the University of Pennsylvania in 1956.
Also in 1956, Montgomery took over as director of the Penn Glee Club and served in that position for 44 years until his retirement in 2000, writing, directing, choreographing and conducting their shows, and bringing the glee club on tours to 30 countries on five continents. He published a memoir in 2005 entitled Brothers, Sing On!: My Half-Century Around The World With The Penn Glee Club through University of Pennsylvania Press
University of Pennsylvania Press
The University of Pennsylvania Press is a university press affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, relating many of his favorite stories from his tenure and travels as director of the Glee Club, as well as reminiscences about his Gilbert and Sullivan activities. For the Glee Club, Montgomery composed the "Academic Festive Anthem", using words by Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
. He also helped to create the Penn Singers as a light opera and musical theatre company in 1971 and continued to serve as their director until his death. In addition, he also served as director and/or music director of Mask and Wig
Mask and Wig
The Mask and Wig Club, founded in 1889 by Clayton Fotterall McMichael, is the oldest all-male collegiate musical comedy troupe in the United States...
, the University Band, and Penn Players. By 1980, he was head of 10 musical groups at the university, retiring from most of them in 2000. His only remaining official position at Penn as of 2008 was directing the Penn Singers' spring shows.
Montgomery's father founded the Philadelphia Gilbert & Sullivan Players in 1950, and Montgomery took over the group upon his father's death in 1955. He remained the group's Artistic Director for over three decades. Under his guidance, the group produced over 65 productions. He then served as stage director for the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Chester County in West Chester, Pennsylvania
West Chester, Pennsylvania
The Borough of West Chester is the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,461 at the 2010 census.Valley Forge, the Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, Marsh Creek State Park, and other historical attractions are near West Chester...
from 1987 until 2007. He both directed and performed in each of the 14 Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Montgomery was also a composer and lyricist whose works have been performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
A founding resident company of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia is a 33-member professional ensemble led by Dirk Brossé...
, and many other performing groups. He also provided occasional narration at Philadelphia Orchestra performances. The music he wrote for Gilbert and Sullivan's Thespis
Thespis (opera)
Thespis, or The Gods Grown Old, is an operatic extravaganza that was the first collaboration between dramatist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan. No musical score of Thespis was ever published, and most of the music has been lost...
in the 1950s, for which Sullivan's original music is mostly lost, was produced successfully by him on several occasions, including at the International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival
The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival is held every summer at the Opera House in Buxton, Derbyshire, England. The three-week Festival of Gilbert and Sullivan performances and fringe events attracts thousands of visitors, including performers, supporters, and G&S enthusiasts from all...
in 2000.
After his 1963 "Irish folk opera" Spindrift, was performed by the Penn Players, he wrote the music and lyrics for a 1964 off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
show, The Amorous Flea
The Amorous Flea
The Amorous Flea is a musical with a book by Jerry Devine and music and lyrics by Bruce Montgomery. It is based on Molière's 1662 comedy The School for Wives....
with a book by Jerry Devine, based on Molière
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
's L'École des femmes (The School for Wives) is still performed occasionally. In 1972, he wrote An Orpheus Triptych for the Orpheus Club of Philadelphia
Orpheus Club of Philadelphia
The Orpheus Club is a men's chorus in Philadelphia. The Orpheus club was founded on December 7, 1872. The original Orpheus club was led by conductor Michael Cross Hurley. The current conductor of the group is John Shankweiler....
, a choral setting based on poems to Orpheus
Orpheus
Orpheus was a legendary musician, poet, and prophet in ancient Greek religion and myth. The major stories about him are centered on his ability to charm all living things and even stones with his music; his attempt to retrieve his wife from the underworld; and his death at the hands of those who...
. Montgomery was also a frequent guest conductor for the Orpheus Club.
Last years and legacy
Montgomery's paintings and sculptures are included in various private collections and galleries. They have been exhibited at the Burrison Gallery in Philadelphia, among others. From 2000 until 2008, he sold his original notecards, featuring his watercolor artwork, through his company, Monty, Inc.In 2005, Montgomery received an honorary doctorate from his alma mater, Bethany College. He was named Man of the Year by the Friars Club of Philadelphia in 2006. He also served on the boards of the Theodore H. Presser Foundation and the Edwin B. Garrigues Foundation. Montgomery's final public appearance was on May 10, 2008, at a dedication gala for the newly renamed Bruce Montgomery Theater in The Annenberg Center at The University of Pennsylvania featuring his compositions.
Montgomery, a resident of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Chestnut Hill is a neighborhood in the Northwest Philadelphia section of the United States city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-Boundaries:Chestnut Hill is bounded as follows:...
, died of heart failure at his summer home on Spruce Head Island, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, the day after his 81st birthday. On October 5, 2008, a memorial service was held for Montgomery in the Irvine Auditorium on the University of Pennsylvania campus, where he conducted many concerts.
In 2010 Montgomery's family established the Bruce Montgomery Foundation for the Arts as a 501(c)(3) public charity to provide financial support to individuals and organizations seeking assistance for creative endeavors and special projects in the performing arts that reflect and perpetuate Montgomery's artistic vision. (See www.brucemontgomeryfoundation.org).
External links
- Bruce Montgomery at the GSSCC website
- The University of Pennsylvania Glee Club
- Monty, Inc. art by Bruce Montgomery