Keep Pete Playing

As a member of United Church of Christ Fredericksburg and with the blessing of our congregation, I am establishing a fund for our longtime musician, Peter Fields. Pete has spent a lifetime creating music for the guitar - both solo and with many other instruments. His playing creates bridges from classical to Jazz to World Music to Pop and beyond.  Peter Fields has captivated audiences in the U.S. and Europe with his mastery of diverse musical styles and unique approach to guitar techniques. In addition to his sophisticated original compositions, his repertoire ranges from classical guitar, Jazz, and Latin music masterpieces, to extraordinary arrangements of R & B classics, and interpretations of ethnic music from various parts of the world. He can be heard on numerous recording projects on Polygram and various independent labels, and on television programs for Fox, National Geographic, Discovery Channels and others. His performances as finalist in the American Fingerstyle Guitar Festival and the National Guitar Championships and the winning of first prize in the Mid - Atlantic song contest established his position as a fresh, new voice in the world of virtuoso guitar music. He has composed scores for film and received commissions from choreographers to create original music for the ballet and modern dance. Most recently he collaborated with the noted Pakistani choreographer Tehreema Mitha on a cross-cultural project for her dance company. He has performed on the Washington Chamber Symphony recitalist series, released an album of his compositions entitled Solo Guitar Music, which was selected as best acoustic album of the year by Northern Virginia Rhythm, and been nominated as Best Jazz Instrumentalist by the Washington Area Music Association. Throughout the last two decades Peter has become increasingly concerned with, and active in creating sustainable communities. He held elected office on the Stafford County, Virginia Board of Supervisors from 2000-2007. He also served on the Stafford County Planning Commission and Board of Directors of Virginians for the Arts.  As a small congregation that sometimes struggled to to pay rent and keep our doors opened, Pete would hold a Jazz Ensemble event with his friends, called “The Clazzical Project" to raise funds on an annual basis to donate to our church.  Now it is our time to help raise funds for Pete as he is living with an incurable cancer that threatens to rob him of his ability to do what he loves...play his guitar and create music! His friend, Don Stapleson shared this link that I thought was appropriate...If you can click on the link below, I'm sure you will recognize Pete performing with "The Clazzical Project" It's a crossover Jazz/Classical group and Peter is an essential member. www.theclazzicalproject.com