Peter Underhill

I've been making music as a composer and pianist for eighteen wonderful years!  I enjoy exploring the psychological effects of harmony, organic musical forms, and ways of using computers to make composing easier!  After earning my Bachelor's in Piano Performance and Music Composition, I finished my M.M. in Composition and am now spending my time writing music and teaching piano and composition.  I have had the joy of offering several piano and composition recitals and participating in a number of festivals and competitions around the world.  My works have been performed by orchestras, choirs, chamber ensembles, and soloists across the United States.

My works have been commissioned by groups such as the University of South Carolina Wind Ensemble, Duo Marso, and the UofSC Spark Collective.  My Master's thesis, Slapdash was awarded the UofSC John and Lucretia Herr Award for composition, and my first orchestral work, Night Tour was the winning composition for the 2017 Whitworth Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition.

As the Graduate Assistant for the Southern Exposure New Music Series, I worked behind-the-scenes while some of the country's best New Music ensembles gave performances at UofSC.  During my time, Southern Exposure hosted performances by JACK Quartet, Claire Chase, Roomful of Teeth, Mike Block & Sandeep Das, The Living Earth Show, Founders, Sympatico Percussion, RighteousGIRLS, Beo String Quartet.

My Composition teachers include John Fitz Rogers, Fang Man, David Kirkland Garner, Reginald Bain, Brent Edstrom, and Janice Giteck.  I studied Piano Performance with Judith Schoepflin and Greg Presley. I have attended seminars with Nico Muhly, Dmitri Tymoczko, Amy Beth Kirsten, David Ludwig, Christopher Theofanidis, Fabio Vacchi, Marina Giovannini, Paolo Girol, Einike Leppik, Riccardo Lorenzetti, and Giovanni Cestino.

My goal is to help students learn how to learn. I guide my students in establishing goals based on their own interests, creating plans to accomplish their ambitions and apply their new skills, abilities, and knowledge to the next project. Because of this, I begin with a rigorous focus on the fundamentals of music-making, instrumental technique, and compositional craft. As students grow in their understanding I encourage them to be curious, using question-based learning to make music about discovery and exploration. When students leave my studio, they know what kinds of questions will lead to efficient practice sessions, stellar performances, and incisive compositions.