Bruce Eglinton Montgomery (June 20, 1927 – June 21, 2008) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

composer, author, musical theater performer and painter; and a conductor and director, particularly of the

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a n ...

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 The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...

, 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.

Biography

Early years

Montgomery was born and grew up in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, the son of James Montgomery, a professional operatic

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

of Scottish descent. His mother, Constance, was also musical.Hughes, Samuel. "Monty in Full"
''The Pennsylvania Gazette'', April 28, 2000, accessed July 13, 2018 He had a brother, James, and two sisters, Elizabeth and Constance. He showed early enthusiasm for

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

and appeared in the Philadelphia Orchestra Opera Company’s production of

's comic opera ''

Trial by Jury A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions. Jury trials are used in a significan ...

'' 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 The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscriptio ...

at the Academy of Music. Montgomery graduated from

Germantown Friends School Germantown Friends School (GFS) is a coeducational independent PreK–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 ...

in 1945, and he earned his bachelor's degree in painting and music composition in 1950 from Bethany College in

Lindsborg, Kansas Lindsborg is a city in McPherson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 3,776. Lindsborg is known for its large Swedish, other Nordic and Scandinavian Americans ( Nordic- Scandinavian), and Germ ...

. For his senior project, he wrote and starred in a

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

Career

Montgomery began his career at the

in 1950 as an assistant director of the Cultural Olympics, a yearly event sponsored by the university that featured amateur performing artists. In 1951, he was drafted and sent to Korea to serve in the 45th Infantry Division of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

during the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...

. 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, Montgomery had occasion to entertain troops in Japan. In 1955, he served for a year as assistant to Penn's director of public relations. 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 Founded in 1862, the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club (Penn Glee Club) is one of the oldest continually running glee clubs in the United States and the oldest performing arts group at the University of Pennsylvania. The Club draws its singin ...

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 The University of Pennsylvania Press (or Penn Press) is a university press affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The press was originally incorporated with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on 26 M ...

, 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.''Brothers, Sing On!''
University of Pennsylvania Press, accessed July 13, 2018 For the Glee Club, Montgomery composed the "Academic Festive Anthem", using words by

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading int ...

. His choral setting of Lincoln's

Gettysburg Address The Gettysburg Address is a speech that U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivered during the American Civil War at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery, now known as Gettysburg National Cemetery, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on the ...

was commissioned for the 100th anniversary of that speech in 1963. He also helped to create the Penn Singers as a

light opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

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 Mask and Wig Club, a private club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1889, is a historic collegiate musical comedy troupe. Created as an alternative to the existing theatrical and dramatic outlets at the University of Pennsylvania, Mas ...

, 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 is a borough and the county seat of Chester County, Pennsylvania. Located within the Philadelphia metropolitan area, the borough had a population of 18,461 at the 2010 census. West Chester is the mailing address for most of its neigh ...

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 Thespis (; grc-gre, Θέσπις; fl. 6th century BC) was an Ancient Greek poet. He was born in the ancient city of Icarius (present-day Dionysos, Greece). According to certain Ancient Greek sources and especially Aristotle, he was the first p ...

'' 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 The International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival was founded in 1994 by Ian Smith and his son Neil and is held every summer in England. The two- or three-week Festival of Gilbert and Sullivan opera performances and fringe events attracts thousands ...

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 An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...

show, ''

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''. The off-Broadway production, directed by Jack Sydow, opened on February 17, 1 ...

'' with a book by Jerry Devine, based on ''

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

L'École des femmes ''The School for Wives'' (french: L'école des femmes; ) is a theatrical comedy written by the seventeenth century French playwright Molière and considered by some critics to be one of his finest achievements. It was first staged at the Palai ...

(The School for Wives)'' is still performed occasionally.Prendergast, John. "Colorful Characters"
''The Pennsylvania Gazette'', April 26, 2000 In 1972, he wrote ''An Orpheus Triptych'' for the

Orpheus Club of Philadelphia The Orpheus Club is a men's singing club based in Philadelphia, the largest city in the state of Pennsylvania, United States, and is the oldest of its kind in the United States. It was founded on December 7, 1872, when twenty-two members performe ...

, a choral setting based on poems to

Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with J ...

. 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 is a neighborhood in the Northwest Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is known for the high incomes of its residents and high real estate values, as well as its private schools. Geography Boundaries Chestnut Hi ...

, died of heart failure at his summer home on Spruce Head Island,

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...

, 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, a charity formed to provide scholarships and grants to fund projects in the performing arts consistent with Montgomery's artistic goals.Forline, Anne
"Gloucester City Native Emma Murphy Wins $2,500 Springboard Grant"
''South Jersey Observer'', December 17, 2017, accessed July 13, 2018

Notes

External links

Bruce Montgomery Foundation for the Arts
* ttp://penngleeclub.com/about-us Penn Glee Club history, including profile of Montgomery {{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, Bruce 1927 births 2008 deaths American theatre directors American male composers Songwriters from Pennsylvania 20th-century American painters American male painters University of Pennsylvania staff Musicians from Philadelphia Bethany College (Kansas) alumni American people of Scottish descent United States Army personnel of the Korean War 20th-century American composers Germantown Friends School alumni 20th-century American male musicians American male songwriters 20th-century American male artists