Mitchell Peters

Mitchell Peters is former principal timpanist and percussionist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. He has composed well-known pieces for the marimba such as Yellow After the Rain and Sea Refractions; it is said that these works were composed because Peters felt that there was a lack of musically interesting material that would introduce his students to four-mallet marimba techniques. Several of his snare drum and timpani etude books are in common use as well. He began his career in the army orchestra. He later was principal percussionist of Dallas Symphony before taking the principal percussion position in the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1969. When principal timpanist William Kraft retired in 1981 to pursue his career as a composer, Peters stepped up to assume the role as timpanist, a position he occupied through the Los Angeles Philharmonic's 2005/2006 season. Peters is well known for his prodigious sightreading ability.

Peters became the applied percussion teacher at California State University Los Angeles shortly after joing the LA Philharmonic. During his tenure as timpanist, he took the position as Professor of Percussion at the University of California, Los Angeles. In May of 2012, Peters retired from teaching at UCLA.

He is also a member of the Philharmonic New Music Group and has recorded a wide array of contemporary works as a chamber musician. Mr. Peters holds the Performer's Certificate and bachelor's and master's degrees from the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with William Street. While at Eastman, he was a member of the original "Marimba Masters." Upon graduation, he served as timpanist with the 7th U.S. Army Symphony Orchestra. As a widely published author and composer, Mr. Peter's works and instructional materials are highly regarded throughout the United States and abroad. He currently owns and operates a music publishing company that handles percussion works exclusively. His faculty positions include the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, and UCLA, where he teaches percussion and conducts the percussion ensemble. In 2006 he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Sabian Cymbal Company. He was also on the faculty of the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara from 1990-2002.