When he drowned last July, Monty Noboru Carter left behind more than friends and family who still miss him. The former Kalispell resident also left behind a legacy of music his father and stepmother are ensuring will never be forgotten.

Stony and Jan Carter compiled “Monty Carter A Memorial Album” in memory of their son. The album features recordings from high school and college recitals.

Monty Carter garnered early attention for his piano-playing prowess. He began studying piano at age 4 with teacher Marion Reynolds. After moving to the Flathead Valley a year later, he continued studying with Kay Lund and Billie Brown.

In a 1977 Inter Lake article, Brown had high praise for Carter: “He’s got quite a bit on the ball. He’s got a tremendous amount of natural ability and he must have a high IQ because he picks up things fast.”

He began entering national competitions at age 12 and, after graduating from Flathead High School, went on to study piano at the University of Michigan under a full scholarship. Carter later earned a master’s degree at Yale University, where he studied with noted pianists Nina Lelchuk and Claude Frank.

Although he left Kalispell in 1989, Carter was well known throughout the 1990s for his performances at the Flathead Festival. 

Prior to his 1992 concert, Conductor Gordon Johnson, who was then in charge of the Glacier Orchestra, said Carter was “probably the finest pianist to ever grow up in the Flathead.”

Starting in 1999, Carter worked as a music teacher and girls basketball coach at The Northwest School in Seattle, where he also coordinated musical productions and for a time was music department chairman.

He died in Leavenworth, Wash., July 8, 2012, when he and some hiking buddies decided to cool off in the Wenatchee River. Chelan County sheriff’s officials told The Seattle Times Carter went too far into the water, which was running high from snowmelt.

Several of Carter’s performances are included on the memorial album. Selections from Brahms from Carter’s high school graduation recital are on the CD, as are works by Beethoven from his master’s recital at Yale.

Stony and Jan Carter, who now live in Great Falls, released the album “just to get his music out there,” Jan Carter said.

“We want people to enjoy his music,” Stony Carter added.

The CD was a labor of love for the couple, who say they’re satisfied with the finished product. In addition to recordings from their son’s career — some as early as 1987 — the album features photos of Monty Carter as a child and an adult.

“We’re proud of the album itself,” Stony Carter said.

Locally, “Monty Carter A Memorial Album” is available in Kalispell at Bookworks and in Whitefish at The Purple Pomegranate. It is also available on Amazon.com.