We all deserve to be seen. Artemis Montague, the newest member of the Playbill Songwriter Series, has written a musical to soothe the soul of POC, queer, and trans artists across the world. Called She Sings Me Home, the love story features a book, music, and lyrics by Montague, with additional music by Angela Ortiz and Chris Bulle-Goyri.
Examining the effects mental health, systemic and interpersonal violence, and community-building have on relationships, the work features a variety of musical genres, including blues, R&B, gospel, and rock. Montague presented three songs from the work as a part of the Songwriter Series.
"Take Me Away" features Montague's vocals, Kendall Perry on the cajon drum, and Angela Ortiz on the Sing For Hope piano. "Pretty Birds" features Montague's vocals and Ortiz on piano. "Sing Me Home" has Joyah Dominique and Jordan White on vocals, and Ortiz on the piano.
Artemis Montague is a Black mixed-race non-binary composer-lyricist-librettist-singer with chronic illnesses. Montague was a finalist for the 2022 Write Out Loud Contest for their song, “friend”, received an Audiofemme Agenda Grant in May 2023 to record an EP of original music, and was a MacDowell Artist Fellow in July 2024. She Sings Me Home, their first full-length Black-, trans-, and queer-led musical, has been performed at the REACH at the Kennedy Center as part of the Page to Stage Festival with Ally Theatre Company; sung at the Green Room 42 in NYC as a concert in February 2023, performed at Round House Theatre in Bethesda, MD as part of the 2nd Annual National Capital New Play Festival's workshops, and presented at Broadway Shark Tank in October 2023.
In the summer of 2024, the show won a Map Fund Grant for developmental reading. They also have 2 in-progress musicals (How Baby and the Ancestors Attempted a Revolution, and Rhapsody in Sunflower Yellow), as well as 160 standalone songs and two in-progress film scripts. Montague is also the IIDEAA Board Chair for TEMPO (Trans Expansive Music Professional Organization) and a NYCLU Artist Ambassador.
The piano utilized in the filming of this episode was provided to Playbill by Sing For Hope. Sing For Hope harnesses the power of the arts to create a better world. Our creative programs bring hope, healing, and connection to millions of people in hospitals, schools, care facilities, refugee camps, transit hubs, and community spaces worldwide. A non-profit organization founded in New York City in response to the events of 9/11, Sing for Hope partners with hundreds of community-based organizations, mobilizes thousands of artists in creative service, and produces artist-created Sing for Hope Pianos across the US and around the world. The official Cultural Partner of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, Sing for Hope champions art for all because we believe the arts have an unmatched capacity to uplift, unite, and heal. Learn more at SingForHope.org.
To find more information about Artemis Montague and their work, please visit https://www.musicalsbymontague.com/.
