Composer Jessie Montgomery has merged classical traditions with vernacular music of various types, often with an emphasis on social justice. She also performs chamber music and is a noted educator. By 2012, Montgomery had already been involved for some years with the Sphinx Organization. She received several grants from the group and has served as its composer-in-residence. For the first part of her career, Montgomery mixed performing and teaching; she formed the PUBLIQuartet string ensemble in 2010 and was also a member of the Catalyst Quartet. Montgomery has increasingly focused on composition. Her 2014 work Banner merged The Star-Spangled Banner with protest songs and other anthems from around the world. By the mid-2020s, more than a dozen of her compositions had been recorded, and her work was the focus of the 2023 recording Jessie Montgomery: Strum - Music for Strings.