Peter McCutcheon

A Cincinnati native, Peter McCutcheon began playing double bass as a way to learn a musical instrument but keep a safe distance from his older brother who played violin. Quickly, Mr. McCutcheon became passionate in performance, and at the age of 13 he debuted with the Cincinnati Community Orchestra, performing Mahler’s 1st Symphony and Holst’s The Planets. Over a decade later, Mr. McCutcheon has performed with various local orchestras, including the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra and the Queen City Chamber Orchestra. 

Before attending college at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), Mr. McCutcheon became interested in pedagogy when he began teaching private lessons to younger bassists. At the age of 18, he became Suzuki certified, becoming the only Suzuki-accredited double bass teacher in Cincinnati at the time. 

Alongside being a double bass specialist, Mr. McCutcheon has incorporated his love of music into his faith. He is an active member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, where he can be seen playing bass guitar and double bass, arranging music, leading youth ministry, and other various musical tasks when called upon. More recently, he has taken on the role of Worship and Music Administrative Assistant, and now works actively each week in the planning and organization that goes into each worship service. 

Mr. McCutcheon received his pre-collegiate instruction from Dayton Philharmonic principal bassist Debbie Taylor. He has earned a Bachelor of Music from CCM, and is now working towards his Masters degree, studying under Rachel Calin. During his Masters, Mr. McCutcheon is also serving as a Graduate Assistant of Music Education, where he can be found teaching String Methods to undergraduate music education majors. It was during his experience as a Graduate Assistant that Mr. McCutcheon grew fond of all of the instruments in the strings family, and now has multiple years of experience playing and teaching violin, viola, and cello in addition to his double bass expertise. 

When not thinking about bass or music, Mr. McCutcheon enjoys solving advanced Sudoku puzzles, collecting vintage books, and collecting vinyl records.