Chamber of America Commission (2012)
More on this coming up!
Commission For North Coast Singers (2011)
In May of 2011 I was commisioned by the North Coast Singers to write a piece for string quartet, jazz trio and a 40 piece choir. I came up with the “Calling Me Home Suite” and we performed it at Sherwood Hall in La Jolla. New territory indeed!
Jews In Baseball Movie (2010)
In 2010 I worked with composer Michael Roth on the music for this movie. We recorded the score here at Spragueland and the whole experience was super cool. Dustin Hoffman ended up doing the voice over work and the movie features some rare interviews with Sandy Koufax. Hunt it down and check it out.
Peter is the Honored Musician at the Museum of Making Music’s Evening of Note (June, 2006)
Peter and Sammy.
Every year the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, California holds a fundraiser event in which they honor 2 musicians of note. For 2006 they honored me and Sammy Nestico. The evening included a dinner and then a presentation that highlighted each of our careers including a video with photos and dialog detailing the whole ride. Pretty incredible! We then were given awards and each made acceptance speeches. That was a first for me—semi high drama. I then played three solo guitar pieces and then started to ease into the evening. This event was a real milestone for me. A highlight were some of the classic stories Sammy told about his life in the music business. My favorite one was the time he had to sub for another composer writing some background music for a T.V. show. The producers loved what he wrote and they let the regular composer know this. The regular guy asks Sammy what he did and Sammy said, “I’m not sure if what I wrote even fit with what was going on in the footage but I just wrote something pretty. They’ll love you as long as you write pretty.”
The invitation and the awards sculpture that they gave us.
Peter and Stefanie along with Sammy and his wife.
Peter, Sammy and the big boys of NAMM. This is about as dressed up as I can get.
Gigging For A Living, Candid Conversations with Independent Musicians
(Dec. 2003)
This is the name of new book by Steve Denyes about the inner workings of the working musician’s life. Turn to page 37 of the book and you can follow along with Steve’s interview with me. It’s an honor to be included in this book. The other musos whose viewpoints are discussed are Gregory Page, Randi Driscoll, Jeff Berkley, Deborah Liv Johnson, Steve White, Eve Selis, and others. Follow this link for more info on the book.
Pass The Drum Ventures to Hawaii (May, 2003)
This was nothing short of a miracle getting the big seven-piece group over to the islands. Playing samba in paradise is absolutely my idea of a good thing. Check out The Sky for the full account.
Composed and Recorded the Music for the KPBS Documentary “Eye of the Beholder, The Artistry of James Hubbell” (September, 2003)
I’ve been a friend and a fan of James’ artwork for years. Our group has played at his incredible Julian home many times. Marianne Gerdes directed this documentary and I composed the music, using my brother Tripp on sax and flute and myself on guitar. I filled out the score with some previously unreleased material and the final production looks and sounds great. James’ life story and his life’s work are just amazing. This is a must see and if it isn’t playing on a KPBS station near you, you can also get it on DVD from KPBS online.
Peter Finally Makes It To SURFER MAGAZINE (Feb. 2002)
It’s been a life long dream to appear in Surfer Magazine. It’s the Holy Grail of surf scribes and you know you’ve arrived when you find your photo there. So lo and behold, they got around to writing a piece about this muso surfer who is able to bridge both worlds and still surface for air. Now I know I’ve lived! Follow this link to get the full story.
Sprague’s Guitar Concerto Performed with the San Diego Symphony
(May 25th, 2002)
I got the phone call from conductor Jung-Ho Pak and I immediately responded YES! The evening was called “Local Living Legends” and it featured violinist Mark O’Connor and myself, each performing our own works with the orchestra, and ending the show all playing together on “Amazing Grace”. It was an amazing evening and getting to sit in the “sweet spot” of the orchestra, musically interacting with the strings and the woodwinds, and hearing them tear up my composition was a moment I’ll never forget. I hope this can all happen again.
Peter with the San Diego Symphony and Mark O’Connor.
The view from the balcony.
Peter and Fred at the forefront of the stage.
The poster for the event.
Photo in the Taylor Guitar 2001/2002 Catalog
The entourage of photo folks came to my studio and I just did what I do. And that is, sat and played my Taylor guitar, every now and then opening my eyes to verify what planet I was on. Lo and behold, they caught a cool black and white of me and it’s included in one of the most beautiful catalogs you’ll ever see. Go to Taylor Guitars to check it out.
Brasilia on KPBS Television August, 2001
Our band Brasilia (Peter with Holly Hofmann, Mike Wofford, Kevin Hennessy, Duncan Moore, and Tom Aros) played a live set for KPBS’ Club Date series. We made our way to the San Diego State studios and burned up some Brasilian and Latin jazz for the live audience and T.V. crew. The edited show is now showing on KPBS stations around San Diego and California. The show was nominated for two Southwest Region EMMY AWARDS and won one of the awards for best Audio Production! Congratulations to Larry Upton for the great sound engineering. Click here to see a video of one of the songs.
World Premier of Sprague’s Double Concerto for Jazz and Classical Guitar
(May 21, 2000) – I blocked of a month in my schedule and dug deep into the score paper and mystery of the orchestral ensemble. Thank God I came up with some notes for Fred Benedetti and I to interact with the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra. What an exciting moment to hear the sound of those penciled ideas magnified 3D!