A love of music, with strings attached

By Phyllis Lehrer
Staff Writer

Published on February 15, 2008

Ben Peterson was in elementary school when the high school orchestra came to play.

"The only instrument I heard was the cello," he recalls. "I turned to my best friend and said When are we going to start cello?' "

"'That's insane,' my friend said."

Peterson, now a cellist, tells the story with a big smile.

Peterson is in his second year as orchestra conductor at Amherst Regional High School, replacing Patrick Smith, also a cellist, who retired.

Sitting in his office at the high school, where shelves are filled with musical scores, a board lists rehearsals and a nearby music stand is ready for lessons and practice, Peterson spoke of his musical career and the students.

Coming to Amherst after having built a student orchestra in Brookline, Peterson said he thought it would be easy, since he was coming into a program left in great shape by Smith. He was impressed by the students. "Students here have high expectations of themselves and they want to be challenged, to be where they can grow. Students really embrace the challenge of a concert."

The orchestra performance last week included works by Saint-Saens, Dvorak, Hindemith and Vivaldi. "It's important to use music from different eras. It's important to (explore) 20th century (music) and it's important to do baroque ... that provides a different way to think about music."

"Students (here) win music competitions and perform with orchestras. We had the largest group go to All-State (a competitive music competition for students in the state)."

But the talent isn't limited to music, he said. "They are so good at math or language, they have multiple talents. I love Amherst High School kids. They have such a broad range of talent. Everything is encouraged here," he said.

Peterson conducts the Philharmonia and Symphonic Orchestra at the high school, two ensembles at the Regional Middle School and another at the Crocker Farm Elementary School. He also has a few private students.

A childhood love

Peterson started his music career with the piano at age 5 and thrived with a good string program in Anchorage, Alaska, and a wonderful orchestra program in Eugene, Ore. He played cello in the high school orchestra and at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado.

He majored in music at Grinnell College in Iowa.

He earned a master's in performance and pedagogy from the University of Iowa in 1987. He won a scholarship that he used to live on while he studied cello with Yehuda Hanani at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. He played in the Annapolis Symphony as well.

After studying in Baltimore, Peterson moved to Boston. He began private teaching and soon had 65 students a week, was performing in four orchestras and coached the Boston Youth Symphony. "I was working seven days a week."

He also got married. He and his wife now have four children. The three daughters play cello and they perform in community programs as a family. His 3-year-old son is learning to play cello.

Work at a music camp led to an offer to teach at the Wellesley elementary schools. He recruited 50 students.

He also needed to recruit when he was named the orchestra conductor at Brookline High School. When he came in, there were three string players. When he left after 10 years, there were 35. (Amherst by comparison has 42.) He said he visited the elementary and middle schools to recruit performers.

Along the way he worked on his doctorate in music at Boston University. Since a dissertation is no longer required for the doctorate, and he has completed all the requirements, he said he may claim the sheepskin.

Writing music

He began composing when he was at Grinnell. He composed pieces for his Brookline orchestra and wrote "Fugue for Strings" that was performed last December at the high school.

As for his own musical tastes, he loves Bach suites and compositions by Martinu and Cassedo that he feels have been ignored. He cites up-and-coming cellists Andres Diaz, Hannah Chang and Matt Haimowitz, formerly of the Valley.

Peterson realizes that few students at this level become professional musicians. But he hopes they keep the music in their lives. "It give them a life-long appreciation of aesthetics, beauty, a great sense of self discipline. It gives a great sense of being part of something (engaging in) teamwork together for a common goal."