Mitchell Peters was recently the principal timpanist and percussionist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. He has composed well-known pieces for the marimba such as Yellow After the Rain and Sea Refractions; it is said that these works were composed because Peters felt that there was a lack of musically interesting material that would introduce his students to four-mallet marimba techniques. Several of his snare drum and timpani etude books are in common use as well. He began his career in the army orchestra. He later was principal percussionist of Dallas Symphony before taking the principal percussion position in the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1969. When principal timpanist William Kraft retired to pursue his career as a composer, Peters stepped up to assume the role as timpanist, a position he occupied through the Los Angeles Philharmonic's 2006 season. Peters is well known for his prodigious sightreading ability. During his tenure as timpanist, he took the position as Professor of Percussion at the University of California, Los Angeles. He continues to teach at UCLA where he gives private lessons and leads the UCLA Percussion Ensemble.
