Acclaimed pianist Jill Montgomery Upchurch to perform at Link Centre in Tupelo
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Feb. 2—TUPELO — Jill Montgomery Upchurch first fell in love with the piano by her grandmother's side.
"My earliest memories of the piano are climbing on the bench at Nana's house and begging to play," Upchurch said, speaking of her youngest years in North Carolina and of spending time with her grandmother, a working pianist and organist. "Honestly, I've always loved it. My whole life."
But it wasn't until her family relocated to Tupelo when Upchurch was 7 or 8 that her love of music solidified and became something more formal.
Now, the 49-year-old is a working pianist herself, with an impressive list of accomplishments. Over the years, she's played at private and corporate events before guests such as President George W. Bush, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan. She has performed as a soloist with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, the Monroe (Louisiana) Symphony Orchestra, the Louisiana Symphony Orchestra and the Centenary (Louisiana) Chamber Orchestra.
She is also an accomplished music teacher, having taught group and private piano lessons at the Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts, the University of Cincinnati School for Creative and Performing Arts, and the Louisiana State University Laboratory School, among many others.
And this weekend, she'll return home to play for her family, friends and the community that nurtured her love of the arts.
A homecoming performance
The Link Centre in Tupelo will present "An Evening at the Piano with Jill Montgomery Upchurch" on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 7:30 p.m. Her performance will feature a special appearance by The Golden Wave Quartet.
Tickets are $18 in advance through eventbrite.com or $25 at the door.
Although she's played at a few private events in Tupelo over the years, this weekend's performance will be Upchurch's first public hometown concert in nearly 30 years.
"I'm very excited," she said, speaking over the phone from her home in Dallas.
She said she began putting together the pieces of what would become this weekend's show as soon as she received the invitation in April.
"Part of it was just putting together a program," she said. "I wanted to put on a show that has beautiful classical music ... But I've got a little something for everybody."
Although she's returned to Tupelo several times since leaving (her husband, Robert Upchurch, is a Tupelo native himself), Saturday's concert will represent a true homecoming.
In a way, Jill Montgomery Upchurch's career — or at least the path to it — started in earnest in Northeast Mississippi, when she began learning piano under the tutelage of instructor Linda Kinsey at age 8.
Those were formative years for Upchurch, who looks back upon them fondly.
"I think what really shapes my life as a musician and a performer is growing up in such a wonderful community that is so supportive of the arts," she said. "It's so incredible that a town the size of Tupelo — that's not a huge, metropolitan area — has the Tupelo Ballet, the symphony, the Tupelo Community Theatre. I was involved in all of those things. It's such a neat, supportive community."
Her first public performances were at First United Methodist Church under the guidance and support of longtime organist Beverly McAlilly when Upchurch was 11.
Later, she played at other functions, both small and large. These moments instilled in Upchurch an ongoing love of performance.
"I just feel really fortunate to have had all of those opportunities to be involved in different types of activities," she said. "Just to have the opportunity to perform and have it be just a part of everyday life. It's really a neat place to grow up and be nurtured."
Upchurch expects many of the people who helped guide her through that nurturing process to be in the audience on Saturday night, including Kinsey — her first formal instructor — who's now in her 80s.
To Upchurch, there are few possibilities more exciting than being able to perform for her hometown crowd.
"To me, it's the honor of a lifetime to be asked to come to your hometown and put on a show," she said. "I'm so excited to see the people who I grew up with ... I can't wait to hug most of the audience."
