Friday Music Series: Peter Yates

Artist Biography

In venues ranging from Lincoln Center to the art clubs of Salzburg and the botanical gardens of Los Angeles, Peter Yates has produced over a thousand events as composer, guitarist, writer and multimedia artist.

His interest in things not done has led to a puppet opera about the Watts Towers, a DVD ghost-town opera, and a graphic-novel oratorio. His writing includes plays, librettos, satire, philosophy and instruction manuals on musical interpretation and prepared guitar.

Yates’ work has been featured on Italian National Radio (RAI), microfest, Reference Recordings, Innova, Centaur, Bridge and TR Records. Further forms of it can be found at peterfyates/youtube and calguitar.com.

His teaching includes many years at UCLA and Cal Poly Pomona (where he began as a lecturer sleeping in the parking lot in his van, and retired as Department Chair).

"Exuberant glee and energy . . . like what we might get if Mozart came back and gave a one-man performance of The Marriage of Figaro by moonlight for a few friends." -— LA Reader

“An unreconstructed modernist, he is also sensitive to vernacular and popular styles.” — The Los Angeles Times

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