Third Coast Percussion with Jessie Montgomery
Program
Jlin Please Be Still
Jessie Montogomery Lady Justice
Tigran Hamasyan Sonata for Percussion
Memories from Childhood
Hymn
23 for Third Coast Percussion
—Intermission—
Jessie Montogomery Suite from In Color
Red
The Poet
Purple
Lou Harrison Concerto for Violin with Percussion Orchestra; Jessie Montgomery, violin soloist
I. Allegro Maestoso
II.Largo Cantabile
III. Allegro, Vigoroso, poco presto
Program Notes
Jlin (b.1987)
Please Be Still (2024)
For Third Coast Percussion’s 20th anniversary, the quartet asked Jlin to add another layer to the musical chain, by creating a new work that would be a remix or reimagining of a work by another composer that inspires her.
"I’m always so delighted when I get to collaborate with Third Coast Percussion. When they asked me to compose a piece that was Bach-based I, of course, jumped right to it. The Bach piece I chose to derive from is “Kyrie Eleison”, the movement from Bach’s “Mass In B Minor”. That piece has so many rhythmic sections with endless possibilities. I’ve been a lover of Bach’s music since I was kid, and always found his work complicated. The percussionist in me hears Bach’s keystrokes as if they were individual acoustic drums. I’m always trying to play against the rhythm, and this piece was no different."
Please Be Still was commissioned by Third Coast Percussion for its 20th Anniversary, with support from Carnegie Hall, the Zell Family Foundation, the Robert and Isabelle Bass Foundation, the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Foundation, the Julian Family Foundation, and Steph and Daniel Heffner.
Jlin’s Please Be Still is featured on Third Coast Percussion’s album “Standard Stoppages,” released on Cedille Records in April 2025, along with Tigran Hamasyan’s Sonata for Percussion, Jessie Montgomery’s Suite from In Color, and other works by Montgomery, Zakir Hussain, and Musekiwa Chingodza.
Jessie Montgomery (b.1981)
Lady Justice / Black Justice, The Song (2024)
Montgomery writes: Lady Justice / Black Justice, The Song is inspired by the artwork of Ori G. Carino — a reflection on his painting “Black Justice” (2020-2022), which is a commentary on the injustices Black people continue to face at the heart of U.S. social order and politics. The subject is a Romanesque statue of Lady Justice, depicted as a Black woman, and she is painted using airbrush techniques upon several layers of silk, which are then stretched in staggered alignment across a life-sized canvas. The painting is placed in the center of the room with a light cast through it so that one can view the image on a 360-degree plane and observe the holographic effect that results from the silk layering, revealing her timelessness and multiple hues. The image is staggering, aspirational, and technically virtuosic.
My approach was to try and interpret the painting from several angles, working in concert with Ori’s natural sense of beauty and grit, drawing musical correlations with the textures, techniques employed, and emotional qualities that spoke to me in the artwork. The main melody that appears throughout (which harkens to a Brahms-inspired theme that I wrote years ago, inspired by a line in Langston Hughes’ epic poem “Ask Your Mama: 12 Moods for Jazz” **) serves as a thread, reflecting the changing modalities in each section. I use special effects, such as dipping tuned crotales (weighted metal discs) into bowls of water to sonically reference the tipping of scales; the drum set part holds down an omnipresent breakbeat that bends and shapes the grungier middle section; and I interpret the holographic elements using various analogue musical delay effects. As the title suggests, this piece can be considered a companion to the painting and vice versa.
This piece represents a deep collaboration and artistic symbiosis between myself, Third Coast Percussion, and Ori. I am privileged to call them friends in music and in life. Click here to view an image of the painting, and Ori’s biography.
Tigran Hamasyan (b.1987)
Sonata for Percussion (2024)
Sonata for Percussion is very classical in some ways — it has three distinct movements (fast-slow-fast), and it is abstract music, evoking moods but not telling a specific story. Lilting dance feels, arpeggiated harmonies and ornamented melodies give an additional wink to the classical, but the vocabulary is pure Hamasyan, with the moments of hard-grooving energy or ghostly lyricism winding their way through an asymmetrical rhythmic landscape. The outer movements both explore different subdivisions of 23-beat rhythmic cycles, while the middle movement is in a (relatively) tame seven.
Working through this material — both in workshops with the composer during the creative process and in rehearsals for the premiere — was an exhilarating but humbling experience for the members of TCP, who had to work to develop the unique skill set that Tigran has built with his band, in order to fit together the rhythmic jigsaw puzzle in a way that grooves and allows the character of the musical lines to shine through.
Tigran Hamasyan’s Sonata for Percussion was commissioned by Third Coast Percussion for its 20th Anniversary, with support from Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting, the Zell Family Foundation, the Maxine and Stuart Frankel Foundation, the Julian Family Foundation, and Steph and Daniel Heffner.
Jessie Montgomery’s In Color is a 5-movement suite written for tuba and string quartet, commissioned by renowned jazz tuba player Bob Stewart for his record “Connections: MIND-THE-GAP” (Sunnyside Records). The piece is driven by the tuba technique and array of effects and colors that have become part of Stewart’s unique palette, and the pursuit of interesting composite sound colors that this uncommon combination of instruments would make possible.
In workshops with Third Coast Percussion for her first percussion ensemble piece, Study No. 1, Montgomery brought excerpts from a number of pre-existing works, including In Color, as material to experiment with on percussion instruments as a way to explore timbral possibilities and the blending of sonic colors. TCP member Sean Connors was drawn in by In Color in particular, and when Montgomery’s Study No. 1 evolved in a very different direction, Connors asked for the composer’s blessing to arrange three movements of In Color for percussion quartet.
Lou Harrison (1917-2003)
Concerto for Violin and Percussion Orchestra (1940/1959)
Lou Harrison holds a particularly special place in the heart of percussionists. Along with his friend and collaborator John Cage, Harrison was one of the first generation of classical composers to begin writing percussion ensemble music, with works dating back to the 1930s. While Cage developed his own vocabulary for percussion music that eschewed any attempts at melody or harmony in favor of timbral variety and rhythmic tension, Harrison’s style creates surprisingly lyrical lines even from “non-pitched” percussion instruments. Flower pots, brake drums, and cowbells truly sing in Harrison’s work, allowing him to create and develop recognizable motives, and blend percussion seamlessly with other instruments.
Harrison was also fascinated with the aesthetics of non-Western musical traditions, and was particularly passionate about Javanese Gamelan. In addition to the works he wrote for Gamelan ensembles and for his “American Gamelan,” its influence can be heard in the evocative instrumental colors and personality of many of his other works. The pipes, bell plates, and Thai gongs in the Concerto for Violin and Percussion Orchestra create moments of Gamelan-like fanfare amongst the fluid asymmetrical dances that mark the concerto’s outer movements. The more plaintive middle movement is a violin soliloquy accompanied with sparse percussive punctuations that shows Harrison’s connection to the classical world; one could easily think it was music by Bartok or Shostakovich.
TCP celebrated Lou Harrison’s Centenary in 2017 with performances and an HD video recording of the Concerto for Violin and Percussion Orchestra with violinist Todd Reynolds, which can be found online.
About the Artists
Third Coast Percussion
Jessie Montgomery
Third Coast Percussion (TCP) is a GRAMMY® Award-winning Chicago-based percussion quartet and GRAMMY®-nominated composer collective that made history as the first percussion ensemble to win the revered music award in the classical genre. To date they have gathered seven total nominations. Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2025, TCP is renowned worldwide for its exciting and unexpected performances that constantly redefine the classical music experience and “push percussion in new directions, blurring musical boundaries and beguiling new listeners” (NPR), with a brilliantly varied sonic palette and “dazzling rhythmic workouts” (Pitchfork).
The ensemble has been praised for the “rare power” (Washington Post) of its more than 30 recordings, and “an inspirational sense of fun and curiosity” (Minnesota Star-Tribune). Third Coast Percussion maintains a busy tour schedule, with past performances in 42 of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., plus international tour dates across four continents and 14 countries, amassing more than 300,000 audience members over two decades.
During its momentous 20th anniversary season in 2024-2025, the ensemble embarks on the most ambitious collaborative projects in its history with leading musicians, choreographers, and composers from around the world. The season includes two collaborative national tours: in a program with tabla player Salar Nader, featuring dates at Carnegie Hall and four other sites, the artists premiere a new work commissioned by TCP from the late Zakir Hussain (Nader's mentor) before the artist's passing in December 2024. The ensemble also tours with Twyla Tharp Dance in a newly created piece by the famed choreographer set to Philip Glass's iconic score Aguas da Amazonia. Other highlights include TCP performances of Pulitzer Prize-finalist and GRAMMY®-nominated works in their Metamorphosis program, choreographed by Lil Buck and Jon Boogz; and a national tour with composer and violinist Jessie Montgomery featuring a brand new work for percussion quartet commissioned by TCP paired with Lou Harrison’s Concerto for Violin with Percussion Orchestra, with Montgomery performing the violin solo. In addition, TCP has commissioned new works this season from composers Tigran Hamasyan and Jlin.
A direct connection with the audience is at the core of all of Third Coast Percussion’s work, whether the musicians are speaking from the stage about a new piece of music, inviting the audience to play along in a concert or educational performance, or uniting fans around the world via one of their free mobile apps. The four members of Third Coast are also accomplished teachers, and make active participation by all students the cornerstone of all their educational offerings, including thoughtfully curated K-12 workshops and family programming.
The quartet’s curiosity and eclectic taste have led to a series of unlikely collaborations that have produced exciting new art. Their omnivorous musical appetite, paired with approachable and flexible working methods, remove collaborative boundaries across cultures and disciplines. The ensemble has worked with engineers at the University of Notre Dame, architects at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, dancers at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and musicians from traditions ranging from the mbira music of Zimbabwe’s Shona people, to indie rockers and footwork producers, to some of the world’s leading concert musicians. Third Coast Percussion served as ensemble-in-residence at the University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center from 2013-2018, and currently serves as ensemble-in-residence at Denison University.
A commission for a new work from composer Augusta Read Thomas in 2012 led to the realization that commissioning new musical works can be – and should be – as collaborative as any other artistic partnership. Through extensive workshopping and close contact with composers, Third Coast Percussion has commissioned and premiered 110 new works by Zakir Hussain, Jessie Montgomery, Philip Glass, Clarice Assad, Danny Elfman, Jlin, Tigran Hamasyan, Augusta Read Thomas, Devonté Hynes, Missy Mazzoli, Ivan Trevino, Tyondai Braxton, and leading early career composers through their annual Currents Creative Partnership. TCP’s commissioned works have become part of the ensemble’s core repertoire and seen hundreds of performances around the world. In 2023, Jlin’s Perspective, commissioned by TCP, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
Third Coast Percussion’s recordings include 19 feature albums and appearances on 14 additional collaborative releases. Besides putting its stamp on iconic percussion works by John Cage and Steve Reich, the quartet has created first recordings of commissioned works by Zakir Hussain, Jessie Montgomery, Philip Glass, Clarice Assad, Danny Elfman, Jlin, Tigran Hamasyan, Augusta Read Thomas, Devonté Hynes, Missy Mazzoli, and more – in addition to recordings of original Third Coast compositions. In 2017, the ensemble won the GRAMMY® Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for their recording of Steve Reich’s works for percussion. TCP has received five additional GRAMMY® nominations as performers, and in 2021 they received their first GRAMMY® nomination as composers. In their latest GRAMMY® nomination, TCP’s 2023 album Between Breaths was nominated for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance in the 2024 GRAMMY® Awards. In just the last 10 years, TCP has amassed over 5 million listeners and more than 10 million streams on Spotify.
Third Coast Percussion has always maintained strong ties to the vibrant artistic community in their hometown of Chicago. They have collaborated with Chicago institutions including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the Uniting Voices Chicago choir, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Chicago Humanities Festival, and the Adler Planetarium. TCP performed at the grand opening of Maggie Daley Children’s Park; conducted residencies at the University of Chicago, Northwestern University and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago; created multi-year collaborative projects with Chicago-based composers Jessie Montgomery, Clarice and Sérgio Assad, Augusta Read Thomas, Glenn Kotche and chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird; and taught tens-of-thousands of students through partnerships with Uniting Voices Chicago, The People’s Music School, the Chicago Park District, Rush Hour Concerts, Urban Gateways, Changing Worlds, and others.
The four members of Third Coast Percussion (Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, and David Skidmore) met while studying percussion music at Northwestern University with Michael Burritt and James Ross, and formed the ensemble in 2005. Settling in Chicago, the four friends have carefully and thoughtfully built a thriving nonprofit organization – including full-time staff, office/studio space, and a board of directors – to support their vision and facilitate their efforts to bring new works to life. Members of Third Coast also hold degrees from the Eastman School of Music, Rutgers University, the New England Conservatory, and the Yale School of Music.
Stay up-to-date and go behind-the-scenes by following Third Coast on Instagram (@ThirdCoastPercussion), YouTube (@thirdcoastpercussion), TikTok (@thirdcoastpercussion), Facebook (@Third Coast Percussion) and LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/third-coast-percussion).
*Third Coast Percussion is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.
Jessie Montgomery is a GRAMMY® Award-winning composer, violinist, and educator whose work interweaves classical music with elements of vernacular music, improvisation, poetry, and social consciousness. Montgomery is an acute interpreter of 21st-century American sound and experience. Her profound works have been described as “turbulent, wildly colorful, and exploding with life,” (The Washington Post) and are performed regularly by leading orchestras and ensembles around the world. In June 2024, she concluded a three-year appointment as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Mead Composer-in-Residence.
Montgomery’s music contains a breadth of musical depictions of the human experience—from statements on social justice themes, to the Black diasporic experience and its foundation in American music, to wistful adorations and playful spontaneity—reflective of her deeply rooted experience as a classical violinist and child of the radical New York City cultural scene of the 1980s and 90s. In response to Montgomery’s GRAMMY®-winning work, Rounds (2021), San Francisco’s NPR station KQED stated: “this is what classical music needs in 2024.” A founding member of PUBLIQuartet and a former member of the Catalyst Quartet, Montgomery is a frequent and highly engaged collaborator with performing musicians, composers, choreographers, playwrights, poets, and visual artists alike.
At the heart of Montgomery’s work is a deep sense of community enrichment and a desire to create opportunities for young artists. During her tenure at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, she launched the Young Composers Initiative, which supports high school aged youth in creating and presenting their works, including regular tutorials, reading sessions, and public performances. Her curatorial work engages a diverse community of concertgoers and aims to highlight the works of underrepresented composers in an effort to broaden audience experiences in classical music spaces.
Montgomery has been recognized with many prestigious awards and fellowships, including the Civitella Ranieri Fellowship, the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, the Leonard Bernstein Award from the ASCAP Foundation, and Musical America's 2023 Composer of the Year. Since 1999, she has been affiliated with the Sphinx Organization in a variety of roles, including Composer-in-Residence for the Sphinx Virtuosi, its professional touring ensemble. Montgomery holds degrees from The Juilliard School and New York University and is currently a doctoral candidate in music composition at Princeton University. She serves on the Composition and Music Technology faculty at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music.