Otto Montgomery is an 18-year-old pianist from Berkeley, California. He began playing jazz in middle school and currently plays with the highly acclaimed Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble and Advanced Combos under the direction of Sarah Cline. Otto is a member of the California Jazz Conservatory’s Studio Band and Advanced High School Workshop, and a founding member of a 5-piece combo, “Barn Band,” with whom he recently recorded an album. In the summer of 2023, Otto attended the NYU Jazz Improv and Composition Workshop, and last winter traveled to Havana, Cuba where he studied and performed with teachers and students from La Escuela Nacional de la Música. Otto has received accolades and outstanding soloist awards for his playing at numerous jazz festivals, master classes, and performances.

Otto began his classical piano studies at age 4 and currently studies with Arkadi Serper at the Crowden Music Center in Berkeley. During the last two summers, he has attended the highly selective Oberlin Piano Festival and the Indiana University Piano Academy. Otto has received top awards in many competitions including the American Prize, The US International Piano Duo Competition, the US Open Music Competition, The Carmel Klavier International Concerto Competition, The American Fine Arts Festival, The Charleston Classical Music Competition, The Bay Area Music Assoc. Music Legacy Competition, and the East Bay Music Festival Piano Competition. He is a National Honor Roll recipient for 12 years for the National Piano Guild Auditions and a Presidents Cup winner from the National Federation of Music Clubs.

On weekends, Otto plays gigs - solo or with his combo - for gatherings of all types including, restaurants, private parties, fundraisers, and other celebrations throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.