Montana Skies
Encyclopedia
Montana Skies is a guitar
and cello
duo, with eclectic styles (from finger-picking to flamenco) within contemporary instrumental music. The group Montana Skies is made up of husband and wife Jonathan Adams on guitars (steel string and Spanish/nylon) and Jennifer Adams on cellos (acoustic cello and a custom 6-String Electric cello). Montana Skies has an extensive tour schedule which has taken them all across the US, Canada and to Asia.
Their debut recording Montana Skies reached #1 on world and instrumental music radio charts in April and May 2004 and helped them win the title of “Best New Artist” in the 2004 Lifestyle Radio Awards. Highlights from the cd’s airplay include broadcasts nationally on the NPR radio program “Echoes” and the TV program “Soundcapes”. They have also performed live on radio and TV programs throughout the country and internationally. The duo recently completed a cross country tour of the US in the spring of 2004 and made their international debut last summer in Seoul
, Korea
.
The couple met almost a decade ago while studying music at the University of Georgia
in Athens. At first the two planned on collaborating on classical music but after a trip to the University Library to investigate repertoire, they discovered that music written for cello/guitar was as rare as the combination itself. Jonathan and Jennifer were not discouraged; they began writing their own arrangements to classics and composing music for themselves. Not having set repertoire has given these music artists a great freedom in their musical expression. Jonathan explains, "Throughout the years, we have developed many of our own arrangements ranging from world music and classical to original compositions. The fact that 'ready made' repertoire is not available for our combination of instruments really what pushes us to be more creative with our music. We love composing and arranging, and appreciate the opportunity to present old favorites, along with newer music, to our audiences."
Montana Skies’ name is taken from one of the first songs Jonathan composed for the group entitled “Montana Skies”. Jonathan studied music at Montana State University
in Bozeman and this song was written specifically about those times.
They are releasing their newest album Chasing the Sun which was inspired by their most recent cross-country tour. Many of the songs were composed while traveling across the USA and seeing it’s national treasures. Chasing the Sun is an homage to the “road trip".
The Adamses live in the Atlanta, Georgia
metro area. They maintain an active touring schedule and conduct community and educational outreach programs in conjunction with concerts. Montana Skies performs in a variety of settings from outdoor music festivals, indoor concert halls, on the campuses of college and universities, and community concerts. Jonathan's full length instructional book and CD, "Getting Into Fingerstyle Guitar" was published in 2002 by Mel-Bay Publications. Additional publications are in-the-works.
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
duo, with eclectic styles (from finger-picking to flamenco) within contemporary instrumental music. The group Montana Skies is made up of husband and wife Jonathan Adams on guitars (steel string and Spanish/nylon) and Jennifer Adams on cellos (acoustic cello and a custom 6-String Electric cello). Montana Skies has an extensive tour schedule which has taken them all across the US, Canada and to Asia.
Their debut recording Montana Skies reached #1 on world and instrumental music radio charts in April and May 2004 and helped them win the title of “Best New Artist” in the 2004 Lifestyle Radio Awards. Highlights from the cd’s airplay include broadcasts nationally on the NPR radio program “Echoes” and the TV program “Soundcapes”. They have also performed live on radio and TV programs throughout the country and internationally. The duo recently completed a cross country tour of the US in the spring of 2004 and made their international debut last summer in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
.
The couple met almost a decade ago while studying music at the University of Georgia
University of Georgia
The University of Georgia is a public research university located in Athens, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1785, it is the oldest and largest of the state's institutions of higher learning and is one of multiple schools to claim the title of the oldest public university in the United States...
in Athens. At first the two planned on collaborating on classical music but after a trip to the University Library to investigate repertoire, they discovered that music written for cello/guitar was as rare as the combination itself. Jonathan and Jennifer were not discouraged; they began writing their own arrangements to classics and composing music for themselves. Not having set repertoire has given these music artists a great freedom in their musical expression. Jonathan explains, "Throughout the years, we have developed many of our own arrangements ranging from world music and classical to original compositions. The fact that 'ready made' repertoire is not available for our combination of instruments really what pushes us to be more creative with our music. We love composing and arranging, and appreciate the opportunity to present old favorites, along with newer music, to our audiences."
Montana Skies’ name is taken from one of the first songs Jonathan composed for the group entitled “Montana Skies”. Jonathan studied music at Montana State University
Montana State University - Bozeman
Montana State University – Bozeman is a public university located in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's land-grant university and primary campus in the Montana State University System, which is part of the Montana University System...
in Bozeman and this song was written specifically about those times.
They are releasing their newest album Chasing the Sun which was inspired by their most recent cross-country tour. Many of the songs were composed while traveling across the USA and seeing it’s national treasures. Chasing the Sun is an homage to the “road trip".
The Adamses live in the Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
metro area. They maintain an active touring schedule and conduct community and educational outreach programs in conjunction with concerts. Montana Skies performs in a variety of settings from outdoor music festivals, indoor concert halls, on the campuses of college and universities, and community concerts. Jonathan's full length instructional book and CD, "Getting Into Fingerstyle Guitar" was published in 2002 by Mel-Bay Publications. Additional publications are in-the-works.
External links
- Free downloads and more at the official website Montana Skies
- Audio and more info on Montana Skies