“Friends and colleagues of former Bangor Symphony Orchestra conductor Peter J. Re say the city’s iconic musical organization owes much of its success to the high standards he set half a century ago,” writes Nick McCrea in Wednesday’s (7/27) Bangor Daily News (Maine). “Re, 97, died Sunday at the Maine Veterans Home in Scarborough. He led the 120-year-old symphony from 1964 to 1975…. [Bangor Symphony Orchestra Executive Director] Brian Hinrichs said, ‘He is largely credited with ushering in the modern BSO—a professional orchestra that maintains a strong community focus. As a conductor, educator and composer, Maestro Re left an indelible impact.’ … The symphony will honor Re … on Sunday, Oct. 9, by performing one of his compositions—‘Celebratory Overture.’ … [Percussionist] Billy Miller … remembers being involved in the search for a new conductor that brought Re to Bangor…. Miller said, ‘It was like magic. The orchestra sounded so much better just at that first rehearsal under Peter.’ Re retired as professor emeritus from Colby College in 1986 after teaching music there for 35 years. He regularly organized Bangor Symphony performances at the college…. A New York City native, Re attended The Julliard School and earned degrees from Yale and Columbia universities.”
Posted August 1, 2016
