Peter Zhang in Berklee

Peter Zhang
2017-2021: Huamei
2021- Now: Berklee College of Music, majoring in Film Scoring

A trumpet player who couldn’t even play high G

When I came to Huamei in Grade 9 I had no idea what I wanted to do in the future. I studied music purely out of interest, occasionally playing the grand piano in the gym. The class I was most interested in when I interviewed for Huamei was the Band class (which was called Chamber Ensemble at the time).

In my first year, I was lucky enough to get into the band, met my mentor Ms. Olga, and attended my first rehearsal (for Adele's Skyfall theme song). I was a trumpet player who couldn't even play a high G, and I found my place in the then tiny band at Huamei.

After Grade 10, I got to know Ms. Olga better and started to want to get more involved in the orchestra. This is where I got my start in conducting: in Grade 10 I conducted my first public performance of the Spring Festival Overture that I had arranged for the band. In Grade 11 I arranged the national anthems of 19 countries in a row for the International Day, and in Grade 12 I conducted the Chinese New Year Concert, this time with the Spring Festival Overture and the Yao Dance.

Thinking about it now, during all my four years in Huamei, Ms. Olga had a huge impact on my route to graduation and college, and even to future employment and lifelong life. I realized for the first time that playing in an orchestra, composing, and conducting might actually be my calling.

Getting into Berklee with trumpet

In Grade 12, I made what was probably one of the most important decisions I've made to date, applying to a bunch of conservatories in the UK and Canada in addition to Berklee College of Music, the famous star factory. I'd like to thank my counselor at the time, but I'm even more thankful to my dorm teachers for giving us permission to use the practice rooms for two hours every night. Taking Berklee on trumpet was something I couldn't even think about four years ago at the time.

On March 17, 2021, at 7:00 am, I received an email informing me that I had been accepted to Berklee and had received a $5,000 scholarship for each semester. From that moment until I graduated, I was in a state of euphoria. Every day, I was immersed in the unreal feeling that I had gotten into my dream school.

Rearranged Interstellar soundtrack for BMPO

During my time at Berklee, I continued the same habits that I had developed at Huamei: I seized every opportunity to compose, perform, and play in orchestras, and applied to every orchestra I could, and in 2023, I successfully applied for a position as an arranger for the Berklee College of Music's largest (and reportedly the largest in the country) student orchestra, the Berklee Motion Picture Orchestra, for the 2023 Fall Concert. I spent the summer adapting the Interstellar soundtrack for this orchestra to perform. It was the first time in my life that I experienced my work being performed by a major orchestra of this size.

I also returned to Huamei every vacation for two years after graduation to help in the music department. I conducted two graduation ceremonies, and I'm still working on my own graduation music for Huamei. Part of this might stem from a “paying it forward” mentality, but to be honest, the bigger reason is that I really love the atmosphere here. I enjoy collaborating with the teachers and students, and I love returning to this familiar environment.

In 2017, I could never have imagined that I would be doing all of this today. Without realizing it, I became the person I always wanted to be.