13 Facts About Wayne Peterson

Wayne Peterson was an American composer, pianist, and educator.

Wayne Peterson won the Pulitzer Prize for Music for The Face of the Night, the Heart of the Dark in 1992, when its board overturned the jury's unanimous selection of Concerto Fantastique by Ralph Shapey.

Wayne Peterson was particularly drawn to jazz, and became a professional jazz musician when he was 15 years old.

Wayne Peterson obtained a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts, and Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Minnesota.

Wayne Peterson undertook advanced study on a Fulbright Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music in London from 1953 to 1954.

Wayne Peterson joined the faculty of San Francisco State University in 1960, ultimately reaching the rank of Professor of Music, before retiring in 1991.

Wayne Peterson became guest professor of composition at Stanford University one year later, serving in that capacity until 1994.

Wayne Peterson was awarded the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Music for The Face of the Night, the Heart of the Dark, an orchestral work commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony and conducted by David Zinman.

Wayne Peterson had the following comments about the prize years later:.

Wayne Peterson admitted that he would have voted for Shapey's work had he been on the jury.

Wayne Peterson was a visiting artist at the American Academy in Rome in 1990.

Wayne Peterson was in a domestic partnership with Ruth Knier for 42 years until her death in 2021, seven weeks before his own.

Wayne Peterson died on April 7,2021, at his home in San Francisco, aged 93.