John LaMontaine (1920-2013) was an American pianist and composer born in Oak Park, Illinois. His works have been performed by Leontyne Price, Jessye Norman, Adele Addison, Donald Graham, Eleanor Steber, and Jorge Bolet. His compositions included a symphony inspired by the writings of Henry David Thoreau, an opera set in Colonial America, and a piano concerto incorporating bird calls.
LaMontaine was the pianist for the NBC Symphony Orchestra from 1950 until 1954, under Arturo Toscanini. He won the 1959 Pulitzer Prize for Music for his Piano Concerto No. 1 "In Time of War" (1958). He also received the first-ever commission to compose a piece specifically for a presidential inauguration: the National Symphony performed his Overture: From Sea to Shining Sea for John F. Kennedy’s inauguration in 1961. In honor of the 1976 American Bicentennial celebration, he was commissioned to create a choral work for the Penn State Institute for Arts and Humanistic Studies. The opera, Be Glad Then America, was performed by the University Choirs, under the direction of Sarah Caldwell.
