Peter Cirelli (he/him) is an Instructor in Music, the Interim Director of Performance, and the conductor of the Jazz Band. Cirelli began his career at Andover as an Adjunct Music Instructor teaching private lessons in 1986, making 2026 his 40th year of working at Andover. Cirelli plays the trombone, tuba, and euphonium. In his free time, Cirelli enjoys reading on his Kindle, playing golf, and spending time outdoors.
What has been your favorite thing about teaching for the past 40 years?
I love music, and so I always like helping others look for music. About teaching here, I particularly like the curiosity of our students and how they really want to learn. Many of the duties that I have involved directing music ensembles for which students don’t receive credit. It’s always enjoyable for me to see students working hard at something for which they’re not going to get any academic credit or have anything on their transcript.
Did anyone in specific introduce you or inspire you to music? How so?
Quite a few people along the way. First of all, my father got me to play music, originally on the accordion and then on euphonium, which is a band instrument, a brass instrument. And then many music teachers along the way who mentored me. As a professional, a few other musicians who mentored me and gave me opportunities. I think it was everyone along the way. There are certainly little things, little quotes from different people here and there, but the cumulative effect of all of these different people get onto my path and help me realize that I need to be one of those people to younger musicians now.
What were some of your favorite moments while playing in the orchestras of Boston Swing, Colonial Boston Ballet, and Broadway shows?
There were many different moments playing Broadway shows or playing symphony orchestras or jazz bands, etc. I think one really gratifying, or two, I should say, was one performance about 25 years ago in Boston with Joni Mitchell. A lot of famous people travel around the country with only part of their band or orchestra. And then in each city, they hire local musicians to fill out their band or orchestra. I’ve played with a lot of people who I never met. And even on the day of the performance, I didn’t say hello or have a conversation. They bring in their own core people and they hire a bigger orchestra in each city, so I got to play with Joni Mitchell in Boston and Aretha Franklin at the Newport Jazz Festival. Those were really, really fun experiences.
Prior to coming to Andover, you recorded record labels for Blue Notes, RCA, Phillips, and other companies. What was your experience with these labels?
Some of my recordings happened while I was living in Brazil in the early 1980s. I lived in the city of São Paulo and I was part of the freelance musician group there who would be called into recording studios to make albums or TV jingles or things like that. Some of it was here in the greater Boston area, working with different ensembles, mostly jazz and sometimes Latin American music and salsa groups…Most of my opportunities [are] from other trombone players and from other musicians, always trying to be a good colleague and to fit into any musical group that I played in, rather than trying to be a star and trying to be above other people. And so you end up having recommendations from your colleagues much more than being recognized as someone who sticks out above the crowd.
You spent some time living in Brazil to teach in a music festival and a conservatory while playing in jazz ensembles and recordings. How would you say that experience contrasts with playing in an orchestra in Boston?
I’m in a completely different culture, learning to speak a different language. Brazilians are incredibly patient and warm people, and they were very good to me and helped me learn Portuguese and corrected me often, which I appreciated. But being different than Boston, there are different musical styles that you’re able to play in any country you go to. Each country has its musical traditions. Brazil certainly has its strong traditions. So in that way, it was different. There’s also a real warmth among Brazilian musicians. It’s so much fun to get together and play music. Not that it’s not fun in Boston, but it’s even more enhanced, I think, in Brazil. People just love to get together and hang out and play music.
You were also nominated for a Grammy in 1998 for the 30th Annual Grammy Awards. What were you nominated for and how has this affected the course of your musical career?
Just to be clear, I was not nominated by name. I was playing in a band. It was a salsa band. It was based in Lawrence, Massachusetts. We got a recording contract on a record label called A&M records. Because of that high-profile recording contract, we had the votes and we were nominated for a Grammy Award. It’s also a good quality record, but the Grammy nominations most often go to recordings that are made on large record labels.
Do you have any advice for aspiring artists at Phillips Academy who hope to pursue a musical career?
It’s fairly rare for Phillips Academy students to go into a musical career. I wouldn’t say impossible. There are certainly students who do that, but most of our students go on to universities and continue to study music while studying things. For those who are pursuing a career, just stick with it and certainly have other skills that develop because being a performer only is a very difficult career. Not very many people earn a living just as a performer. So many of us are performers and teachers. Continue pursuing [music] as a sort of lifelong way of continuing to develop your brain., I’m 67 years old, and I’ve been playing music since I was about six years old. There’s still a vast amount of music in this world that I can study, and that’s one of the things that I plan to do in retirement is continue to study various styles of Brazilian music, of Cuban music, and different styles of music from around the world that interest me. There’s an endless repertoire for me to study.
Has there ever been a moment teaching at Phillips Academy with like a student or a teacher or anything that you really feel like you remember or that you felt changed your mindset at all or anything?
I don’t have any specific student in mind, but I always love that moment when I see a student’s face change because they conquered something. If they’ve been working hard at learning, [like in] a part that they play in the jazz band or something else that they’ve been working on for a while, and they all of a sudden get it and they play it well, seeing that look on their face like ‘Okay I’ve got this,’ you know that’s just one of the most rewarding moments definitely.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time outside of music? Do you enjoy any sports or films or movies?
I enjoy golfing. I’m looking out the window waiting for all the snow to go away so I can begin my golf season. I enjoy being outdoors in general. I also really enjoy going back to Brazil. My wife is from Brazil. I met her when I lived there, and we like spending a lot of time there at the beach and with family and just generally being outdoors in Brazil is, it’s such a nature’s period. There’s so much to see there. I enjoy a variety of things, but those are probably the main things.
What is an unknown fact about yourself that most people don’t know about you? Or like, what’s one of your favorite things about yourself?
I like to end every day with fiction. I have my Kindle app on my iPad and my phone, and it’s my gift to myself to read fiction every day. I’ve been through a lot of different things. Sometimes I read about history. Sometimes it’s just pure fiction. I recently read historical fiction about the Second World War in Italy and a young man who was involved in the resistance. It was a really interesting book.
