Newton Piano Summit - Dennis Montgomery III & Utar Artun

The Newton Piano Summit, now in its 7th year, presents world-class artists over the first 2 weekends in May entirely free to the public.

Dennis Montgomery III

Montgomery grew up singing and playing in Baptist churches around the upper Louisiana area under the tutelage of his father and mother, By the time he was nine years old he was proficient enough on the Hammond B3 Organ to get hired to work alongside his father.

Montgomery came to Berklee College of Music in 1983. Shortly after his arrival at Berklee, he headed for the gospel choir which had only recently come into existence. While Berklee’s education is focused on jazz, “We know that jazz has its roots in the negro spiritual, which is gospel music. Gospel is also the mother of a lot of other secular music that America has produced.” Gospel at Berklee grew rapidly and when Mongomery graduated he assumed the direction of the Reverence Gospel Ensemble as a full-time faculty member.

Montgomery believes that the choir is a fundamental ingredient of the American experience for international students, which is probably why students from all over Asia, South America, Europe, and Australia all come to be a part of the choir. Montgomery states, “When I was young, I had to learn European musical styles. So when foreign students come to Berklee, I think it is important to educate them in a true form of American music.” The choir has served as a catalyst for some premiere voices in the music industry such as Paula Cole, Lalah Hathaway, Susan Tedeschi, Claude Kelly, Rob Lewis and Mark Whitfield.

Utar Artun

We are thrilled to welcome Utar Artun to the Summit, an exceptionally talented musician with a diverse skill set as an arranger, composer, pianist, and drummer. Originally from Ankara, Turkey, young Utar achieved remarkable success in the music industry with prestigious awards, film scores, and performances at various international festivals, concert halls, and on television.

Utar continued to pursue his passion for music and earned scholarships to attend the renowned Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory. Throughout his career, he has collaborated with esteemed artists such as Bobby McFerrin, Maria Schneider, Kevin Eubanks, Rudresh Mahanthappa, Simon Shaheen, Jason Linder, and Summit performers Kenwood Dennard and David Fiuczynski.

Utar’s extensive body of work includes over 120 compositions for symphony orchestras and more than 160 pieces for brass and big bands. He recently arranged music for a video titled “Bizim Eller Ne Guzel Eller,” which showcased the devastation caused by the earthquake in Van, Turkey. This emotional and inspiring video has been viewed by over 50 million people worldwide.

Currently, Utar is a JRR artist at Berklee, and we eagerly anticipate an amazing performance.

This program is supported in part by grants from Advance Auto in Nonantum – providing quality service for everything automotive, the Village Bank which has a long tradition of commitment to the Garden City, Honda Village, and the Newton Cultural Council, a local agency that is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency, Newton Community Pride, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and private donors.

Sesh by The Boston Calendar | Advertise Terms | Privacy Policy | About