Kenneth Montgomery 1943-2023

[Alain Maréchal]

I have only just observed that Kenneth Montgomery died on 5th March. He had lived and worked in the Netherlands for many years.

If I am duplicating information posted elsewhere in the forum, forgive me.

[bluestateprommer]

His spouse Jan van Dooren posted this on FB the day after it happened:

"Dear Friends, Colleagues and Family, It is with deepest sorrow that I have to let you know that Kenneth passed away yesterday, very unexpectedly. We both caught pneumonia but his turned in to sepsis. When I went in to check on him he was in the most peaceful sleep which turned out not to be sleep....

We were planning a concert with his beloved Orchestra of the 18th Century to announce his retirement and celebrate his 80th birthday."

NPO Radio 4 has this tribute:

https://www.nporadio4.nl/klassiek/podium/54185aa2-f888-441a-ae5a-08a718322ed9/dirigent-kenneth-montgomery-overleden-op-79-jarige-leeftijd

Other tributes:

Conservatorium van Amsterdam: https://www.conservatoriumvanamsterd...ery-overleden/

Arts Council of Northern Ireland: http://artscouncil-ni.org/news/kenneth-montgomery-obe

KM had a long-standing artistic relationship with Santa Fe Opera, from 1982 through 2014. I saw 4 or so productions that KM conducted, in the latter part of his time there. I never met him, but once spoke with a musician in the orchestra about him, in the summer of 2007, and I still recall this bit that speaks to how highly the musicians regarded him:

SFO musician: "We think it's wonderful, how much you trust us."
KM: "What's not to trust?"

Inferring from general history, it would seem that KM was a regular "house conductor" for the 1st 20+ years of his work with Santa Fe Opera, a bit in the shadow of John Crosby. KM then continued to work there, and in 2007, had the title of "Acting Music Director", following the resignation of Alan Gilbert as music director prior to the 2007 summer season. He conducted again there from 2007-2009, one production per season, but then got shut out during the short time of Frederic Chaslin as chief conductor (2010-2012). Santa Fe Opera then brought KM back as conductor laureate in 2013, where he was something like a grandfather to the orchestra, keeping a watch on things without actually conducting a production in the summer of 2013. I think that the summer of 2014 was his last conducting appearance there, a double bill of Mozart's The Impresario and Stravinsky's The Nightingale, which I saw that summer.

Santa Fe Opera hasn't yet put up a tribute page to KM, unless they're working on it. The Ulster Orchestra and various other musical organizations posted FB tributes that van Dooren included on his own FB page.