Peter Ré Student of Paul Hindemith Yale University School of Music 1948

A first-hand account of what it was like to be a student of German composer Paul Hindemith by Colby College Professor Emeritus Peter Ré. An animated 96-year-old Ré proclaimed laughingly, ”You loved him and you hated him."

After studying music at Juilliard and Yale, Peter Ré earned his Master of Arts degree from Columbia University in 1950.

He went on to fulfill the three components espoused by Paul Hindemith as necessary to a musical career— composer, conductor, and teacher.

As a composer, Ré received commissions from the Portland and Bangor Symphony Orchestras and the Portland String Quartet. His highly acclaimed chamber music compositions are available on CD.

From 1964 to 1976, he conducted the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, transforming it into a major cultural resource and receiving numerous awards from the Maine State Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Additionally, Ré was invited to be guest conductor for the renowned Boston Pops and the famed Orchestre des Jeunes de Fribourg in Switzerland, among others.

Peter Ré taught conducting courses, composition, and music theory for thirty-three years at Colby College, attaining the status of Professor Emeritus. He retired in 1986.