Final Season Program May 19
A varied repertoire of selections ranging from such classical composers as Claude Debussy to popular music creators like Scott Joplin, George Gershwin, and Richard Rogers and on to Billy Joel will be presented here on Sunday, May 19, when concert pianist Doug Montgomery performs in the last of eight 2023-2024 season events hosted by the Fredericksburg Music Club.
The program, which will offer familiar pieces like Claire de lune, Carousel, The King and I, Rhapsody in Blue, Piano Man and a Les Miserables medley, will begin at 3 p.m. after seating opens at 2:30 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis in the sanctuary of Fredericksburg United Methodist Church, 1800 North Llano. The performance is free, although goodwill offerings are welcome.
A native Chicagoan, Montgomery began attending Northwestern University’s pre-college music prep program at the age of 15. His passion for classical music prompted him to pursue his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern (1976) and then his master’s degree from the Juilliard School of Music (1978). Upon receiving his master’s, he was awarded the Joseph Lhevinne Scholarship in piano and returned to teach at Juilliard for a year. He attracted national attention as a top prize winner (1977) in the Musical Arts Competition in Chicago which is sponsored by the Society of American Musicians.
However, prizes and competitions didn’t pay the bills, so in 1981 when he was 28, he returned to Chicago where he began a relatively brief career as a model in that city and in Manhattan. But after about a year away from the piano, with his financial footing improved, Montgomery realized he wanted to refocus his career on music, but this time playing something other than just classical pieces.
“I suddenly realized it was only because I had so much training in classical music that I was having a hard time justifying ever playing popular music. But I went out one evening with some friends to a piano bar,” he recalled. “As I listened to the gentleman playing that night, I realized that with my ability, I could play those things in my own way, using my own arrangements and feel very good about what I was doing. Popular arrangements really are based on a lot of classical techniques.”
Not long after that, a friend invited him to visit New Mexico where another chapter in Montgomery’s life soon began. In Santa Fe where he and wife now live, he has since 1983 been playing regularly several nights a week at venues in his new hometown along with keeping a busy schedule performing in the U.S. for private and public events as well as for cruise line engagements throughout the world.
During his career, Montgomery -- who in 1986 added vocals to his performances -- has performed for Gerald and Betty Ford, Henry Kissinger, Princess Margaret, former British Ambassador Walter Annenberg, Bob Hope, Arnold Palmer, Diane Sawyer and Oscar De La Renta. He also performed at several events during the 1989 inauguration of George Bush at the personal request of the new president.
“I’m very fortunate,” he explains. “I’m not burned out. I know what good music is. I know how to find it, how to appreciate it, and I’m lucky enough to get to play it for a living.”
In addition to freewill offerings given at the door of the May 19 concert, that afternoon’s performance is also being partially funded by the Pedernales Creative Arts Alliance along with donations from members of the Fredericksburg Music Club.
At the afternoon concert, membership cards for individuals or corporate sponsors wishing to join the Fredericksburg Music Club will also be available at the door.
Meanwhile, more information about the FMC or assistance in joining the organization is also available online at http://fredericksburgmusicclub.com/.