American and Australian cellist, Peter Rejto, has performed internationally since winning the 1972 international Young Concert Artists, Inc. award (New York). He has concertised as soloist throughout North America, Europe and South America with such orchestras as the St. Louis Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Ohio Chamber Orchestra, Filarmonica de Caracas, Venezuela, the California Chamber Symphony on tour in Hong Kong, and the Rio de Janeiro Symphony, Brazil. In 1992 he presented the world premiere of Gerard Schurmann’s cello concerto “The Gardens of Exile” with the Bournemouth Symphony, England, broadcast live over the BBC. Rejto has recently appeared as guest artist with the Tokyo, Bartok, Colorado, American, Orion, St. Petersburg, and Miro Quartets. In July 2003 he was invited to be a juror for the 4th Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition in Australia, and the following summer was invited to return as “visiting artist in residence” at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne. In 2004 Rejto performed the Beethoven Triple Concerto in Tejon, Korea, performed at Kumho Hall in Seoul, and gave solo recitals at Peking University, Beijing, China and in Dalian, China. He performed at the Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Townsville, in 2006.
As a founding member of the Los Angeles Piano Quartet he has appeared in the world’s great halls including the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Wigmore, London, Hamburg’s Musikhalle, Santa Cecelia, Rome, and Alice Tully, New York. Mr Rejito is regularly presented at numerous music festivals including Aspen, Bravo Colorado, Kneisel Hall, Santa Fe, La Jolla, Sitka, Round Top, Texas, and is the co-founder of the Tucson Winter Chamber Music Festival in Arizona. 2018 will mark his 25th year as Artistic Director.
Son of the late Hungarian cellist, Gabor Rejto (former Professor at the Eastman School and the University of Southern California) most of his study was with his father. He also participated in master classes with Pablo Casals, Gregor Piatigorsky, and Pierre Fournier.
Professor Rejto has held full time positions at several universities in the USA including Michigan State University, California State University, Northridge, and the University of Arizona, Tucson. Rejto is professor Emeritus of Cello at the Oberlin College Music Conservatory. In 2004 Rejto gave master classes in Korea, and at the Central Conservatory in Beijing (again in 2016) and at the Sichuan Conservatory, China. Rejto currently teaches both cello and Chamber Music at the Sydney Conservatorium High School.
An experienced pilot, Peter Rejto often pilots his own plane – a Mooney 201 – to concert and festival appearances. Rejto became an Australian citizen in 2007 and resides in Sydney with his wife, noted pianist Bernadette Harvey.