Peter Loewenstein ’24 brings family guitar legacy to performance on Thursday

When brass and guitar students present a recital Thursday, one of the guitarists brings a long family legacy of the instrument to his performance. Peter Loewenstein ’24 of Oshkosh will perform both in the guitar ensemble and as a soloist. The concert will begin at 4:30 p.m. in Demmer Recital Hall, C.J. Rodman Center for the Arts.

Loewenstein says music has always been a part of his life. He started singing at the age of 11 and played piano for 10 years. He was always aware of a special guitar handed down through his family since 1889. The guitar was first owned by his grandmother’s uncle, Eddie Bell, who owned a guitar shop in New York City. It was passed on to his grandmother Judith, then to his mother, Ripon Professor of Biology Memuna Khan.

A year and a half ago, he started taking classical guitar lessons with Adjunct Instructor of Music Christopher Cramer, and he took a renewed interest in his family’s instrument. It hadn’t been played in many years, so Loewenstein had it restored.

At Ripon, Loewenstein is majoring in music with a minor in environmental studies. He sings with Concert Choir and Chamber Singers and plays with Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo, in addition to Guitar Ensemble. Although he has pursued other interests since he started at Ripon, he now is firmly focused on music.

“Guitar is a niche thing to study, and it takes a lot of work and dedication to learn it. But everybody likes the music, all generations and all ages. Music is the lifeblood of human civilization. It breaks the bonds of discrimination. Music is what truly makes us human. I like sharing with others because it brings them joy.”

He added, “I’ve always been on this path and kept coming back to it. We have a super music department, and the professors here are top-notch. I’ve come to appreciate the amount of passion they show for music. I have pretty much dedicated the rest of my life to music.”

Loewenstein plans to earn a master’s degree in music theory and guitar performance, then become a professor.