We live in a time of an unprecedented richness of multi-cultural offerings in art and entertainment. While live performances of western classical music have lost some of their central place in our culture, they have not lost any value. Peter feels that trained classical musicians are better positioned to make a strong case for the relevance of great classical music to contemporary experience than anyone else.
Teaching, of course, is the most prevalent form of advocacy, but Peter also likes to pursue all other opportunities when they present themselves. In 2011, he became the Artistic Director of Market Square Concerts, a nationally recognized chamber music series in Harrisburg, PA. Peter uses this platform to ensure that the highest quality chamber music is available to the Central PA community and also that children have access to special educational programs.
In addition to presenting exceptional musicians like the Juilliard String Quartet, the Philharmonia Quartett Berlin, and pianists Jeremy Denk and Ann Schein, Market Square Concerts has engaged hundreds of school age children in the community through its “Soundscape” educational and outreach program. The Soundscape offerings range from educational concerts of visiting artists to masterclasses and community outreach performances of music and storytelling featuring WITF radio personality, Cary Burkett. Peter hopes that his efforts will help to keep great live performances of chamber music a part of our culture.