He is a world renowned Emmy Award-winning musician, composer, television producer, author, and philanthropist. Much of his work has been woven into the fabric of iconic pop cultural symbols, such as the original MTV audio branding logos, and jingles for Coca Cola, CNN Headline news, and Sprint. We were honored to have him as a guest at our station before covering his show later that evening at The World Café Live. He spoke candidly to us about topics ranging from the values that his parents taught him, to his involvement with the World Café Live, and LiveConnections.org, which creates free music education programs for Philadelphia area children.
Please enjoy the following press release, followed by his biography:
Press Release for Peter Buffett at The World Café Live
You may think that with a last name like his, Peter Buffett has enjoyed a life of endless privilege. But the son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett says that the only real inheritance handed down from his parents was a philosophy: Forge your own path in life. It is a creed that has allowed him to follow his own passions, establish his own identity, and reap his own successes. In his "Concert & Conversation," the Emmy Award-winning musician, philanthropist, and author combines live performance with candid personal discussion and video clips of his film, TV, and philanthropic work. The inspirational and rewarding event speaks to the challenges of finding a path towards a well-lived life, and favors following passions over conventions. The written companion to the live "Concert & Conversation" program is Peter's book, Life Is What You Make It (Harmony Books, April 27th, 2010).
For his first major Philadelphia appearance, Peter unsurprisingly chose a venue where music and social concern go hand-in-hand: World Cafe Live, whose non-profit partner, LiveConnections.org, creates innovative, free music education programs for Philadelphia children. All proceeds from ticket sales benefited LiveConnections.org and ensure that more kids have access to experience the power of music.
Biography
Emmy Award-winning musician Peter Buffett has an acclaimed career that spans more than 28 years as a professional composer for film and television, producer, songwriter, musician, author and philanthropist.
Peter's latest full-length album, Imaginary Kingdom, was released through his own imprint BeSide Records. His third solo vocal album, this record cements his reputation as a recording artist with something to say. Imaginary Kingdom was recorded and mixed in Peter's home studio in New York City, and proves to be an intensely personal journey of self-expression. His lyrics resonate his passion for social change and are accompanied with backgrounds of a chilling piano, intense percussion and graceful bass lines. Combining elements of soft and progressive rock with a contemporary vocal sound, the album reflects the unique pop sensibilities of Beck and Teenage Fan Club, the weightless harmonies of Elliott Smith and Matthew Sweet, and the dreamy pop/rock tromp of Guster or Death Cab For Cutie.
Peter is also an avid user of online media innovations to intertwine all of his goals and passions. Peter began connecting with fans through the unique social networking platform, Ning.com. This site has allowed Peter to release new singles on a monthly basis and to hold exclusive "Talk Back Tuesday" chats each month with his community of fans.
Beyond music, social action and philanthropy are very important to Peter. His work with numerous non-profit organizations has made him into a well-known activist for social concerns and these messages are played out through his music. He is also the only man to have performed at Eve Ensler's 10th Anniversary V-Day celebration, at which he played Imaginary Kingdom's first single "Can We Love?" On stage, he announced his hopes that "…by the end of this song all the men in the room are singing along with me," and that "I sing this song as the voice of a child who didn't understand the hatred in Selma that he saw on television and the voice of a man who doesn't understand the violence in the Congo that he reads about in the newspaper."
Most recently, Peter collaborated both musically and professionally with the multiple Grammy Award-winning artist Angelique Kidjo to release "A Song For Everyone," whose download sales benefit Angelique's Batonga Foundation, which provides scholarships, school supplies, and other educational opportunities for underprivileged young women in Africa. Last year, Peter came together with Grammy-nominated and international recording artist Akon to release two human-rights inspired songs, one of which, "Blood into Gold", debuted at a special event at the UN General Assembly. Peter wrote the song "Anything" (which appeared on his 2007 album Staring at the Sun) after visiting post-war Liberia and Sierra Leone. Akon, an avid supporter of aid organizations benefiting his home of Senegal, viewed the video Buffett created after his trip and was immediately inspired to contribute. He worked with Buffett to produce and sing on a new remix of the track. In June 2008, Peter and Akon launched the website IsThereSomethingICanDo.com to promote social action through social networking. The site has since partnered with Do Something and is working towards a site re-launch in the spring of 2010.
Peter's latest venture is his inspiring new book, Life Is What You Make It (Harmony Books, April 2010). Personal and revealing, instructive and intuitive, Life Is What You Make It is about following passions over conventions, transcending your circumstances or status, taking up the reins of your destiny, and living life to its fullest.
Buffett's Life Is What You Make It: A Concert & Conversation with Peter Buffett is a live music event that incorporates multi-media and personal stories to give the audience an authentic, inspirational, and impactful evening. Using his own life story and experiences as illustration, Buffett ultimately conveys that it's ones values—and what we are able to give back to society—that shape and define us as individuals. Buffett's integrity, candor and musical talent make for an uplifting and rewarding evening that resonates with every audience member looking to lead a more fulfilling life and leave a meaningful legacy.
Since the series' inception, "Concert & Conversation" has been performed at the Paley Arts Centers in L.A. and New York, Berklee College, Syracuse University, Columbia University, Aspen Ideas Festival (opened the festival), Vancouver Peace Summit hosted by the Dalai Lama Center For Peace And Education, and the Global Philanthropy Forum in Washington, D.C.
A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY
Peter started formal music lessons at age six after banging away on the piano since he was big enough to climb up on the bench. In 1979, he left Stanford University after one year to become a professional musician. Peter landed his first breakthrough job in 1981 audio-branding logos for MTV. This launched his career with ad agencies in San Francisco writing commercial jingles for clients including the California Milk Advisory Board, Sprint, CNN Headline News, and Coca-Cola.
His experience in advertising led to composing for film and television. Peter scored the memorable "Fire Dance" scene in the Oscar winning film Dances With Wolves and performed at the film's premiere. Through his relationship with Kevin Costner, he composed the full score for 500 Nations, the eight-hour Emmy-awarded CBS miniseries Costner produced. Peter had the opportunity to work with film composer John Barry at the famed Abbey Road studios, while contributing to the score for The Scarlet Letter. Additionally, Peter has composed for Triathlon: Through the Eyes of the Elite, and Ojibwe (resulting in an Emmy).
From 1987 to the present, Buffett has released 15 records, and has been signed with such labels as Narada, Epic and Hollywood Records. He now owns two independent labels, BisonHead and BeSide Records. Most of Peter's releases had been instrumental recordings until 2006, with the album Gold Star, on which he "found" his voice (Peter had originally considered putting that album out under another name because he was afraid to expose himself). Having devoted his entire career to creating electronic-based music for compact disc, film and theater, and writing songs for others to sing, Buffett literally had no idea what to expect from his own natural instrument. He was "surprised and thrilled" to discover that the vocal sounds coming out of the studio monitors bore the distinct echoes of the artists he'd cut his teeth on, particularly Simon & Garfunkel, the Byrds and the Beatles.
Peter's theatrical production, Spirit—The Seventh Fire, began as a 1995 benefit concert for Robert and Jamie Redford in which Buffett combined his Native American-inspired music with live native dancing, powwow drummers and the singing of Chief Hawk Pope. The experience was not only personally gratifying, but universally well-received; after first being aired as a successful PBS Pledge Special, the Spirit show embarked on a four-month tour of the U.S in 1999. The reworked, Buffett-produced Spirit – The Seventh Fire returned in 2004 as part of the national Lewis and Clark Bicentennial events across the U.S., as well as being staged for the opening of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. The show brought together Imax-scale film and imagery, live music, and an all-Native American cast of performers. The show tells the story of one man's journey of reconnecting with his heritage and the land on which he lives. Spirit is slated to tour in Europe and China in the coming year.
You are now Tuned In to Peter Buffett.
On the web-
www.peterbuffett.com
www.peterbuffett.com/ning
About the venue-
www.worldcalive.com
World Cafe Live has been built on a simple insight: that a place dedicated to showcasing live music should be a place that attracts and inspires live musicians. The result is a three-tiered music hall in which every detail has been designed to optimize the live performance experience, from sight lines, lighting and acoustics to green rooms, equipment access and concierge service.
About LiveConnections.org-
www.liveconnections.org
Launched in 2008, LiveConnections.org creates innovative music education programs for children and special needs populations at Philadelphia's World Cafe Live. LiveConnections programs explore how music builds bridges and connects cultures. From Bach to beat-box, spoken word to salsa, LiveConnections seeks to spark both a love of music and learning that's hands-on, surprising, and alive.
