Photo: Annelies van der Vegt

British conductor Kenneth Montgomery OBE, British passed away on March 5, 2023, at the age of 79.

Montgomery began his career in 1973, when he was appointed as the music director of the Bournemouth Sinfonietta.

He worked with leading orchestras inside and outside the United Kingdom, working extensively with music organizations in the Netherlands.

Montgomery served as the music director of the Glyndebourne Touring Opera from 1975 to 1976 and continued as a guest conductor for the organization. He later served as principal conductor of the Netherlands Radio Symphony, in the mid 1980s.

Also in the Netherlands—where he made his home—Montgomery became the director of the Dutch Radio Choir and the director of opera studies at The Hague. 

In the United States, he was a guest conductor at Santa Fe Opera and became its interim music director in 2007. During his time at Santa Fe he conducted 21 productions.

In April 2013, he was honored as the conductor laureate of the company.