Peter Mark Princiotto, composer, musician, producer, and teacher, is based in McLean, Virginia, and is manager of However Publishing LLC (BMI), North America East Recordings LLC, and Spring Hill Music Instruction LLC.

Peter began to cultivate his interest in music at an early age, being from a musical family in which various relatives played and enjoyed music. Inspiration struck in 1964, when Peter, along with a few million of his contemporaries, saw the Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. After Peter's family moved in April 1966 from Arlington, Virginia to McLean, Virginia, Peter eventually took up the guitar - learning some basic chords and rock riffs with help from his brother Robert. Several months later, Peter began to write songs, and explore piano basics with tips from his mother. In May of 1968, Rob and Peter would play their first rock gig. In December of 1968 at age 12, Peter would take up the electric bass guitar as his primary instrument, and continue to play in rock bands with Rob. By the early 1970s, Peter had written over two hundred songs (most of which were later discarded). In 1972-73, Peter was becoming influenced by progressive rock, while playing bass guitar and composing some original music for the group Black Orchid.

Peter’s extensive musical training came first when he played bass guitar in 1972-1974 in the Langley High School Jazz Lab, and in the summers of 1973 and 1974 in the Wolf Trap Jazz Ensemble, both under the direction of George J. Horan. Peter studied music theory during the mid 1970s with George Sims, bass guitar and double bass (circa 1973) with Chip Cliff, and double bass (circa 1975) with Joe Willens. From 1973-75 Peter played bass guitar with the jazz-rock fusion group Ancient Moon. Peter then attended the New England Conservatory in 1975-1977, where he studied double bass with Henry Portnoi and composition with William Thomas McKinley. In 1976, after hearing the virtuoso bassist Jaco Pastorius, Peter began to explore the possibilities of playing fretless bass guitar. Peter met Jaco at three different points during his career, and had a bass lesson with Jaco in June of 1976. Peter then attended George Mason University in 1978-1979, where he studied composition with Glenn Smith, earning a Bachelor of Individualized Study with a core in music composition.

In 1977-1984, Peter was a core member and multi-instrumentalist in the progressive-rock group However. However has released two albums: Sudden Dusk and Calling. From 1984 and into the 90s, Peter often performed with folk-rock vocal groups, including Stitch In Time from 1984-87. In 1988-1990, Peter attended the Peabody Conservatory, where he studied composition with Morris Moshe Cotel, earning a masters degree in music composition. Peter’s minors when at Peabody included study of classical guitar with Mark Cudek, piano with Patricia Graham, and voice with Randall Woodfield. Over the years, Peter has studied voice with several teachers, including in the mid 1980s with Sue Hight Denny, and in the early 1990s with Lisa Reagan.

In the 1990s, Peter played primarily fretless bass guitar in many recording sessions and in some shows with Paul Reisler and his contemporary folk group Trapezoid. In 1992, Peter performed on keyboards with the English musician Richard Sinclair. Peter has been commissioned to compose for film, and has been published as a writer and transcriber in Bass Player magazine. In 2001-02, in honor of Peter’s high school mentor George J. Horan, Peter compiled a collection of recordings of music performed under Horan’s direction.

In the 21st Century:

Peter has performed with Jim & Ashley Cash; he appears on their EP, which was released in November 2006. Peter also appears on Pedal Giant Animals by Stan Whitaker & Frank Wyatt, which was released in December 2006. Peter has performed on fretless bass guitar with Paul Reisler's Kid Pan Alley ensemble. In 2012, Peter's jazz-rock fusion group Ancient Moon reunited to perform at the Langley Music Fest. From 2012-2017 (except 2014), Peter performed with Steve Albrecht and friends at the Langley Music Fest. Also, Peter has performed with Datta and Rachael-Jayne Groover in their renowned inspirational workshops.

From 2015-19, Peter worked with Frank Wyatt on the orchestration of Frank’s Perelandra Symphony in four movements, which they completed on Easter in 2019. The Perelandra Symphony was released on 11/1/19 on the album Frank Wyatt and Friends - Zeitgeist. In 2023, Peter collaborated with his then longtime guitar student Benjamin Steer on an extensive recording project that was produced by Peter and co-produced by Benjamin. Benjamin’s song Muted Colors, featuring Peter playing mandolin and with Peter’s younger brother Joe playing drum set, landed Benjamin a record deal. The song Sinner, with lyrics written by Benjamin and music composed by him and Peter, has amassed millions of streams globally. 

Peter has performed live as a solo artist and in various groups for over five decades, and he has been a music instructor in Northern Virginia since 1974. Peter’s primary interest continues to be the art of music composition and notation (he has composed hundreds of works in various styles); playing bass guitar, piano, and guitar; and singing.

Peter's solo debut Life’s Mystery was released online on 12/12/2008 and on CD on 6/17/2010 by North America East Recordings. All 14 tracks are available for purchase and streaming on several online platforms, including Apple Music, Amazon Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Pandora, iHeartRadio, eMusic, and Rhapsody.