Jessie Montgomery (b.1981, New York)

Rhapsody no.1 for Violin Solo(2014)

“I really like the idea of adding elements of improvisation and some chance and making the performers, sort of, engage differently within the piece. There’s such a rigidity, and having played so much standard repertoire, there’s this expectation that things should be executed a certain way. There’s a real beauty in trying to find your sound and your voice and the way you would interpret a piece of music with all these expectations on it. But I like to throw this other element in that says… ‘screw all that…’”

• Jessie Montgomery, interview with New Music USA (2016).