Peter Princiotto

Peter Mark Princiotto, composer, musician, and teacher, is based in McLean, Virginia, and is manager of However Publishing LLC (BMI), North America East Recordings LLC, and Spring Hill Music Instruction LLC.

Pete began to cultivate his interest in music at an early age, being from a musical family in which various relatives played and enjoyed music. Inspiration struck in 1964, when Pete, along with a few million of his contemporaries, saw the Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. After Pete's family moved in April 1966 from Arlington, Virginia to McLean, Virginia, Pete eventually took up the guitar - learning some basic chords and rock riffs with help from his brother Robert. Several months later, Pete began to write songs, and explore piano basics with tips from his mother. In May of 1968, Rob and Pete would play their first rock gig. In December of 1968 at age 12, Pete would take up the electric bass guitar as his primary instrument, and continue to play in rock bands with Rob. By the early 1970s, Pete had written over two hundred songs (most of which were later discarded). In 1972-73, Pete was becoming influenced by progressive rock, while playing bass guitar and composing some original music for the group Black Orchid.

Pete's extensive musical training came first when he played bass guitar in 1972-1974 in the Langley High School Jazz Lab, and in the summers of 1973 and 1974 in the Wolf Trap Jazz Ensemble, both under the direction of George J. Horan. Pete studied music theory during the mid 1970s with George Sims, bass guitar and double bass (circa 1973) with Chip Cliff, and double bass (circa 1975) with Joe Willens. From 1973-75 Pete played bass guitar with the jazz-rock fusion group Ancient Moon. Pete then attended the New England Conservatory in 1975-1977, where he studied double bass with Henry Portnoi and composition with William Thomas McKinley. In 1976, after hearing the virtuoso bassist Jaco Pastorius, Pete began to explore the possibilities of playing fretless bass guitar. Pete met Jaco at three different points during his career, and had a bass lesson with Jaco in June of 1976. Pete then attended George Mason University in 1978-1979, where he studied composition with Glenn Smith, earning a Bachelor of Individualized Study with a core in music composition.

In 1977-1984, Pete was a core member and multi-instrumentalist in the progressive-rock group However. However has released two albums: Sudden Dusk and Calling. From 1984 and into the 90s, Pete often performed with folk-rock vocal groups, including Stitch In Time from 1984-87. In 1988-1990, Pete attended the Peabody Conservatory, where he studied composition with Morris Moshe Cotel, earning a masters degree in music composition. Pete’s minors when at Peabody included study of classical guitar with Mark Cudek, piano with Patricia Graham, and voice with Randall Woodfield. Over the years, Pete has studied voice with several teachers, including in the mid 1980s with Sue Hight Denny, and in the early 1990s with Lisa Reagan.

In the 1990s, Pete played primarily fretless bass guitar in many recording sessions and in some shows with Paul Reisler and his contemporary folk group Trapezoid. In 1992, Pete performed on keyboards with the English musician Richard Sinclair. Pete has been commissioned to compose for film, and has been published as a writer and transcriber in Bass Player magazine. In 2001-02, in honor of Pete's high school mentor George J. Horan, Pete compiled a collection of recordings of music performed under Horan's direction.

In recent years, Pete has performed with Jim & Ashley Cash; he appears on their EP, which was released in November 2006. Pete also appears on Pedal Giant Animals by Stan Whitaker & Frank Wyatt, which was released in December 2006. Pete has performed on fretless bass guitar with Paul Reisler's Kid Pan Alley ensemble. In 2012, Pete's jazz-rock fusion group Ancient Moon reunited to perform at the Langley Music Fest. From 2012-2017 (except 2014), Pete performed with Steve Albrecht and friends at the Langley Music Fest. Also, Pete has performed with Datta and Rachael-Jayne Groover in their renowned inspirational workshops.

Pete has performed live as a solo artist and in various groups for over five decades, and he has been a music instructor in Northern Virginia since 1974. Pete's primary interest continues to be the art of music composition and notation (he has composed hundreds of works in various styles); playing bass guitar, piano, and guitar; and singing.

Pete's solo debut Life’s Mystery was released online on 12/12/2008 and on CD on 6/17/2010 by North America East Recordings. All 14 tracks are available at several online stores including iTunes, Amazon MP3, Rhapsody, eMusic, Google Play, and Spotify.

For information or to purchase Life's Mystery online or on CD: Buy Life’s Mystery »
For information or to purchase Sudden Dusk or Calling online or on CD: Buy CDs »
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