Mitchell Peters

Mitchell Thomas Peters (August 17, 1935 – October 28, 2017) was a principal timpanist and percussionist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. He 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. 2Biography Peters began his career in the United States Army Symphony Orchestra. He later was principal percussionist of the 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 was well known for his prodigious sightreading ability. Peters became the applied percussion teacher at California State University Los Angeles shortly after joining 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 2012, Peters retired from teaching.Peters was also a member of the Philharmonic New Music Group and recorded a wide array of contemporary works as a chamber musicia