Bruce Montgomery (entertainer)

Bruce Eglinton Montgomery (June 20, 1927 – June 21, 2008) was an American composer, author, musical theater performer and painter; and a conductor and director, particularly of the Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas.

"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, 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.

Montgomery was born and grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of James Montgomery, a professional operatic tenor of Scottish descent. His mother, Constance, was also musical. He had a brother, James, and two sisters, Elizabeth and Constance. He showed early enthusiasm for opera and appeared in the Philadelphia Orchestra Opera Company’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera Trial by Jury 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 at the Academy of Music. Montgomery graduated from Germantown Friends School in 1945, and he earned his bachelor's degree in painting and music composition in 1950 from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. For his senior project, he wrote and starred in a musical comedy.

Montgomery began his career at the University of Pennsylvania 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 U.S. Army during the Korean War. 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.

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