Classical Colors
Montfort Brothers: Classical Colors
Colors of the World in Classical Piano & Guitar
This program showcases unusual classical music: flamenco piano, Brazilian jungle jazz, or the American Indianists! Seth Montfort (composer, pianist), made his concerto debut with the Denver Symphony at age 16. He is joined by his brother, Ancient Future leader Matthew Montfort, on scalloped fretboard, fretless, flamenco, and classical guitars.
Venues: Concert Series, Concert Halls, Universities
Traditions: World Classical, Contemporary Classical, World Music, World Fusion
Moods: Bright, Cerebral, Complex, Dramatic, Ethereal, Exotic, Intense, Mystical, Ornate, Passionate, Sophisticated, Uplifting
Hashtags: #ContemporaryClassical, #WorldClassical, #WorldMusic, #WorldFusion, #DeepListening
Featured Video
Seth Montfort´s interview on National TV in Belize.
Biographies
Matthew Montfort is the leader of the world fusion music ensemble Ancient Future and its principal composer. He is a pioneer of the scalloped fretboard guitar, an instrument combining qualities of the South Indian vina and the steel string guitar. He is also known for his work on fretless guitar, sitar, charango, mandolin, and gamelan. Matthew Montfort holds a B.A. in World Music and Composition and an M.A. in Arts and Media Technology from Antioch University. He has recorded his compositions with legendary world music figures ranging from Bolivian panpipe master Gonzalo Vargas to tabla maestros Swapan Chaudhuri and Zakir Hussain. He has performed his music in concerts worldwide, including at the Festival Internacional de la Guitarra on the golden coast of Spain near Barcelona and the Mumbai Festival at the Gateway of India in Bombay.
Seth Montfort took his first piano lesson when his brother, Matthew Montfort, had homework to do and couldn't make his scheduled lesson. It was Matthew's plan to get out of his piano lessons so he could pursue the guitar. Seth Montfort immediately excelled at the piano. He won his first contest at 11 performing ragtime by Scott Joplin. At 15 he became serious about classical music after attending a Denver Symphony Concert at which he heard his first concerto. He decided to learn a concerto himself and enter The Denver Symphony’s Concerto Competition. He won, and thus months after discovering what a concerto was he made his own concerto debut at 16 performing Ravel’s jazz-inspired Concerto for the Left Hand with the Denver Symphony. He was given a standing ovation from an audience of over 1,000 people! He has performed over 1,000 solo recitals and over 100 performances as a soloist with orchestra in concerti by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, Saint Saens, Rimsky-Korsakoff, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Delius, Scriabin, Ravel, and Gershwin. Some of the orchestras he has made solo appearances with include the Denver Symphony, Jefferson Symphony, Redwood Symphony, North Bay Philharmonic, Kensington Symphony, Diablo Symphony, National Repertory Orchestra and San Francisco Concerto Orchestra. He has won 12 prizes in local, National and International competitions and has performed in most of the Bay area’s biggest halls. He is the Artistic Director of The San Francisco Concerto Orchestra. The Orchestra ranges is made up of professionals from The San Francisco Symphony, Opera and Ballet Orchestras and other local orchestras. It has been described by the San Francisco Chronicle as "solidly impressive"
and by the San Jose Mercury News as "stellar."
As a composer, Montfort is currently finishing an hour long "Old World Piano Symphony" and a two-hour long "Aztec Piano Symphony."
Part of his "Aztec Piano Symphony" was premiered as a work-in-progress with solo and principal dancers from San Francisco Ballet and Opera during Montfort’s residency at the Djerassi Foundation artists’ colony. The work was begun there in collaboration with Victoria Morgan, former Ballet Mistress of The San Francisco Opera.
Contact Info
Tel: 415-459-1892. info@ancient-future.com
Booking: Additional booking information, or use the contact information above.
Catalog: Listen to the CDs and use the secure online shopping cart system to purchase music.
Concerts: Current list of shows online.
Guest Book: Subscribe to the Ancient Future e-mail newsletter. Contests for prizes such as concert tickets each issue.