Peter is a flexible and engaging artist who pursues the creative act through the medium of percussion. His interests and experiences encompass a diverse range of musical styles and idioms, including orchestral performance, contemporary chamber music, Trinidadian steel pan, improvised traditions, and Eastern European folk music.

Originally from the Chicago area, his earliest foray into music came as a member of the Veselo Selo Tamburitza Orchestra, a Serbian-American youth ensemble which performed traditional tamburitza string music at ethnic events and festivals across the Midwest. These formative musical experiences provide the germ for his forthcoming debut solo album Balkan Reflections, a project featuring original percussion arrangements of music inspired by the folk sounds of Southeast Europe. Peter also forms one half of the duo Two Petes and a Pan with Wisconsin-based percussionist Peter Naughton. Together they cultivate an eclectic original repertoire, synthesizing elements of jazz, Americana, rock & roll, and classical music to create fresh and exciting concert experiences.

During his doctoral studies Peter performed frequently with the Iowa Center for New Music Ensemble, interpreting a wide array of 20th and 21st century repertoire including works by George Crumb, György Ligeti, Julian Anderson, and Augusta Read Thomas. He was an inaugural consortium member and performer with The Green Vibes Project, a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to promoting environmental awareness and sustainability in chamber music composition. As a steel pan artist Peter has logged hundreds of performances at venues ranging from farmers markets and middle school gymnasiums to 2,000-seat concert halls. His double tenor playing can be heard on Iowa Percussion’s 2018 album, Jungle Music.

Peter currently serves as Assistant Professor of Percussion at Eastern New Mexico University where he oversees a comprehensive, student-centered percussion program. Before coming to New Mexico, Peter worked as a freelance musician in Central Texas. He previously taught at Northeast Lakeview College in San Antonio, Texas, and at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa.

Peter received his formal training at the the University of Iowa (BM, DMA) and the University of South Carolina (MM). His teachers include Dan Moore, Scott Herring, William Menefield, Bert Ligon, Dennis Barunica, and Jeffrey Majetic.