Peter Quinn

I've been a musician practically all my life. Coming from a musical family, I took up the guitar at the relatively late age of 16. I had previously played in the school orchestra for about four years, but the guitar offered much more freedom in terms of expression and creativity. Some of my early influences were Queen, Rainbow, Eric Clapton and Gary Moore. However, as I matured as a player I began listening to fusion players like Allan Holdsworth, Al Di Meola and Frank Gambale. I still liked to listen to Classical music, and it was during the late eighties/early nineties that I began transcribing Classical pieces for the guitar. The guitar itself was undergoing something of a Renaissance in terms of technique and composition at this time. I listened to the neo classical players, but I really wanted to take that kind of music into my own direction. Between 2006 - 2016 I began to explore the flamenco guitar. I also took up the violin, where I was able to apply many ideas from my earlier transcriptions. Whilst completing my MPhil at De Montfort University (2015 - 2017), I was fortunate enough to perform as a violinist with the De Montfort University Orchestra. The Orchestra itself is composed of staff, students and members of the Philharmonia (who currently have a residency at De Montfort Hall, Leicester). This has given me a tremendous opportunity to perform with many amazing musicians, alongside providing motivation for me to improve myself as a performer. One only develops as a musician when one understands the legacy that one is a part of, as well as the "bar" which the great performers of the past have raised. Since the lockdown my main focus has been on the electric guitar. Rather than simply play Real Book standards, I have put together a range of musical sets that I believe give me a unique voice.