Peter Ashbourne CD (born 14 July 1950) is a

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

n musician and composer who has worked in

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, and popular forms such as

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

, sometimes with his group The Peter Ashbourne Affair and more recently with the jazz band Ashes.

Biography

Born in

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

, Ashbourne attended the Jamaica School of Music and the

University of the West Indies The University of the West Indies (UWI), originally University College of the West Indies, is a public university system established to serve the higher education needs of the residents of 18 English-speaking countries and territories in t ...

before graduating with a bachelor's degree in composition and arranging from the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

.The Hand Behind The Music
, ''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper in the Western Hemisphere. Original ...

'', 21 August 2012, retrieved 14 October 2012Rehrig, William H.; Bierley, Paul E.; Hoe, Robert (1991) ''The Heritage Encyclopedia of Band Music: Composers and Their Music'', Integrity Press, , p. 25 He is a licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music in

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

. In a long career, Ashbourne has worked in both classical and popular music. He has worked on the national pantomime and has written music for the American Wind Symphony Orchestra.Johnson, Richard (2012)
A Career of Distinction
, ''

Jamaica Observer The ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by ...

'', 14 October 2012, retrieved 14 October 2012 In 2012 he worked on Jamaica's 50th anniversary celebrations, acted as musical director of the popular ''Digicel Stars'' talent show and other major events, and conducted the

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

at their two performances in Jamaica, which included performances of original music composed by Ashbourne. He played

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

Eric Donaldson Eric Donaldson (born 11 June 1947 in Bog Walk, Jamaica) is a Jamaican reggae singer-songwriter. He originated in Saint Catherine, Jamaica. Biography Born in Kent Village, about 2 miles from Bog Walk, Donaldson first recorded for Studio One ...

's 1971 hit " Cherry Oh Baby", and provided string arrangements for Beres Hammond's 1976 album ''Soul Reggae''. As a writer, arranger, and producer he has also worked with other popular musicians including Ernie Smith,

Tarrus Riley Omar "Tarrus" Riley, Order of Distinction, CD (born April 26, 1979, Bronx, New York (state), New York, United States) is a Jamaican-American reggae singer and member of the Rastafari movement.Kenner, Rob (21 August 2009"Reggae Singer With a Leg ...

, Cedric Brooks, and

Burning Spear Winston Rodney Order of Distinction, OD (born 1 March 1945), better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer-songwriter, vocalist, and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian movement, Rastafarian and one of the ...

. He released the album ''Blind Man Swimming'' in 2001. Ashbourne wrote the opera ''Mikey'', based on the life of dub poet Mikey Smith, which premiered in 2012.Walters, Basil (2012)
Mikey Smith in opera
, ''

'', 23 September 2012, retrieved 14 October 2012 In 2012 he was awarded the

Order of Distinction The Order of Distinction (OD) is a national order in the Jamaican honours system. It is the sixth in order of precedence of the Orders of Societies of Honour, which were instituted by an Act of Parliament (''The National Honours and Awards Ac ...

- Commander Class (CD) by the Jamaican Government in recognition of his "dedicated and outstanding service to the development of many genres of music in Jamaica". He is currently a faculty member at the School of Music at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts, and a director of the MUSIC Unites Jamaica Foundation.

Discography

*''Blind Man Swimming'' (2001)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashbourne, Peter 1950 births Living people Musicians from Kingston, Jamaica Berklee College of Music alumni Jamaican classical musicians Commanders of the Order of Distinction Jamaican jazz musicians Jamaican reggae musicians Wolmer's Schools alumni