Peter is the Music Director of Heartland Presbyterian Church in Clive, IA. There he arranges for and leads the jazz ensemble for the 10 a.m. worship and directs and composes/arranges for the vocal ensemble. He also hosts two annual concerts. "Hey! It's Christmas!" is a showcase of all the ensembles and individuals within the congregation. The Worship Jazz Band plays, the choir sings, the handbells ring and the congregation contributes individual soloists and small groups all performing Christmas music. In the spring, there is an annual classical concert. On May 21, 2017 Peter invited members of the Des Moines Symphony, the Central Iowa Wind Ensemble, and members of three local church choirs to perform Ralph Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs. Peter performed the baritone solo and Eric Mohlis, the 10-12 choir director at Dallas Center-Grimes High School, conducted the choir and orchestra. That performance can be heard on Peter's LISTEN page.
Peter is an active jazz pianist having played at the having led performances of John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue, and Vince Guaraldi's A Charlie Brown Christmas at Noce (the jazz club in Des Moines). He has also been a guest soloist with the Ames High School Orchestra on Claude Bolling's Suite for Chamber Orchestra and Jazz Piano Trio. In 2018 he will lead performances of A Love Supreme, Dave Brubeck'sTake Five, Chick Corea's Return to Forever&Light as a Feather, and another Christmas album. Peter has also performed at the Des Moines Social Club, Embassy Club West, Louie’s Wine Dive, the Stuffed Olive, the Lift, and Chucks in the Des Moines area.
He is the choral accompanist at Dallas-Center Grimes High School and Meadows. He accompanies the curricular 8th grade, 9th grade, Mixed Choir, Treble Choir, and DC-G Singers as well as the jazz choirs Modulation, Dissonance, and Harmonization. He is also a staff accompanist at Drake University having played for the choirs, conducting courses, individual soloists, and the Drake Opera Theater’s production of Verdi's MacBeth in 2015.
Peter teaches private piano lessons. He teaches both classical and jazz to ages seven and up (including adults) and across all ability levels.
He is also a versatile composer, arranger, and electronic producer who has written extensively for small jazz ensemble. Has written and recorded five big band charts with the University of Northern Iowa’s Jazz Band One, and has received commissions for choral works from Bel Canto Cedar Valley and Underwood High School. While living in Colorado, Peter co-produced an electronic album with Alex Bullen entitled Outlets and Exchanges.
He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with both a BA, minor in jazz studies, and an MA in piano. There he studied classical piano with Sean Botkin, jazz piano with Bob Washut, and jazz improvisation and composition with Chris Merz and Bob Washut.