Peter Basquin, Carleton Class of 1964 is a critically acclaimed concert pianist and retired Professor of Music and Director of Music Performance Studies at Hunter College (CUNY). A native of Northfield, he graduated from Carleton summa cum laude with a B.A. in Music. While at Carleton, he studied piano with William Nelson and won the prestigious Women’s Association of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (WAMSO) Young Artist’s Competition in 1962. After graduating from Carleton, Professor Basquin obtained a Master of Music degree in piano at the Manhattan School of Music, and subsequently settled in New York City. He has cultivated a distinguished career as both a concert pianist and as a Professor of Music and Director of Musical Performance at Hunter College, part of the CUNY system. As a pianist, Professor Basquin won the Montreal International Piano Competition in 1971, and has made regular appearances at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall. He has been featured as a soloist with the Boston Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra and the Montreal, Quebec and American Symphony Orchestras. He has performed under conductors Michael Tilson Thomas, Gunther Schuller, Dennis Russell Davies, and Paul Dunkel, among others. He has also made numerous recordings, and his performances can be heard on the Argo, CRI, Peters International, Grenadilla and New World labels. Though his work is very highly regarded, Professor Basquin has specialized in collaborative work as a chamber musician. He currently tours with the Aeolian Chamber Players, and has been featured in recordings as pianist for many solo performers, the most recent a CD by flutist Paul Dunkel. He is also a regular faculty artist for the Bowdoin Summer Music Festival and the pianist of the American Composers Orchestra. At Hunter, he taught in the piano studio and piano literature courses, and served as the chief administrator for the Musical Performance Studies program.
Text of his Commencement Speech
Audio of his Commencement Speech