the direction of Dwight Peltzer nor any recollection of performing in any ensemble that may have accompanied Dwight Peltzer.

Dwight Peltzer is one of only a handful of UMASS-Amherst Music Faculty members that this Author has no recollection of ever speaking to or engaging with on a social basis between 1967-1972.

However, this Author does remember Dwight Peltzer’s name as well as appearance as rendered from the photo posted to this page.

But, this Author has no recollection of ever hearing Dwight Peltzer perform at any UMASS-Amherst Music Department Faculty Recital event between 1970 and 1972.

What little this Author knows about Dwight Peltzer during the 1970-1972 period was shared with this Author by Dwight Peltzer’s most notable student, Gretchen Saathoff.

Gretchen was an Undergraduate Student Piano Performance.  Gretchen had completed two or three years of Music School studies at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale.

At that time, Dwight Peltzer was Piano Artist in Residence at Southern Illinois University.  When Dwight Peltzer left Illinois to become Artist Pianist in Residence at UMASS-Amherst, Gretchen decided to transfer to UMASS-Amherst to compete her BA in Piano Performance.

Gretchen was an excellent pianist and an outstanding sight reader.  And, Gretchen had ambitions to become a professional piano accompanist.  In 1970, Gretchen became the first call accompanist for student recitals.  Between 1970 and 1972, Gretchen capably served as the piano accompanist for this Author’s trumpet solo recital performances on upwards to ten different occasions.  Gretchen performed as piano accompanist on three of the five selections on this Author’s senior trumpet graduation recital.  Interestingly, this Author cannot remember Dwight Peltzer ever attending any of the large number of student recitals that Gretchen Saathoff performed as an accompanist.

Gretchen told this Author that Dwight Peltzer owned a very large and exceedingly valuable Bösendorfer piano.  And, this Bösendorfer was the only piano that Dwight Peltzer would perform on. A crane was needed to lift and place this Bösendorfer piano into Dwight Peltzer’s assigned teaching studio office at UMASS-Amherst in September of 1970.

Gretchen also told this Author that Dwight Peltzer had a front row basket season ticket to the UMASS-Amherst Minuteman Basketball games.   In 1970, Julius “Dr. J.” Irving was the star basketball player on the team from 1969-1971.

 

 

 

 

Here is a recording that features Dwight Peltzer that is hosted on YouTube….
Sonata: Jig Henry Cowell