Aloha, my name is Peter Kun Frary, Professor of Music at Leeward Community College. I'll be your virtual host during your musical journey this semester. Our journey has few perils and many pleasures.
Who Is This Guy?
Most of my life I've been a rambler, gambler and cattle rustler. Kidding! I've lived my life as a performer, ensemble director and composer. When I'm not making music, I'm busy photographing and editing images of landscape, travel and abstracts.
My Roots in Port Townsend
I grew up in Port Townsend, Washington, and Point Wilson, Fort Worden and surrounding beaches were my playground and refuge. When I was old enough to ride a bicycle, Point Wilson was the first place I headed for. Why? It was the end of the earth. Riding north, you could go no further: the Strait of Juan de Fuca formed an impassable barrier, at least to a nine year old. When I was old enough to drive, my mama’s New Yorker Deluxe with two-speed Power Glide floated through the roads of the point with ease. My first motorcycle, a Honda 350 Scrambler, seemed to automatically know the Point was my destination.
Port Townsend, Washington | I grew up in idyllic small town America. Port Townsend is a Victorian city on the northeast tip of the Olympic Peninsula, jutting into the Puget Sound and Strait of Juan de Fuca. It's a haven for artists, musicians and writers, and a great place to come of age.
The preeminent power of nature was bluntly apparent at Point Wilson. Constant gale force winds, crashing waves and driving rain were quick to remind how small and insignificant you were. The radical weather patterns made me think this place was a vertex of power, maybe even otherworldly—a sacred place. A half mile away it could be peaceful and warm, but the point was always turbulent, brooding and powerful. I often walked these beaches during winter storms, enjoying the solitude and feel of nature on my face.
These many years later, when my mind is still, I think of this place. I see vignettes of the straits and bunker hill; my dogs running the beach and paisley faces and voices of friends and love long lost. I’ve returned to Fort Worden dozens of times, perhaps in some silly quest to glimpse a nostalgic moment in my past. Bunkers and tunnels are welded shut, and park rangers patrol the perimeter like a police state, collecting fees and handing out citations. Fields I once played in are now a RV park, filled with elderly time travelers in satellite dish equipped Winnebagos. I suspect the Strait of Juan de Fuca submarine races are still enjoyed by novice lovers, so maybe things haven’t changed so much.
Point Wilson Lighthouse | Port Townsend, Washington
Oahu or Bust
I left my beloved family and Port Townsend to study music at WWU. I knew I'd never return home, because job opportunities for classical guitarists were nonexistent. After graduating from WWU with a guitar performance degree, I washed ashore on Oahu with my Ramirez A-1, Nikon FM and a couple Benjamins in my pocket.
Dimick Lighthouse | Port Townsend, Washington
I love the Pacific Northwest but realized Hawaii's balmy climate suited me better than the dreary weather of the Olympic Peninsula. So I resolved to stay and make Hawaii my home. I earned a Master of Arts in Musicology from the University of Hawaii, got married and eked out a living teaching guitar and performing in Waikiki dives. Eventually I hired on as Professor of Music at the University of Hawaii, Leeward CC, and have been happily teaching class guitar, guitar ensemble, music theory and music literature for many years.
Waiʻanae Range at Dusk | The fleeting light and rapidly changing weather at sunset is one of the many things I love about Hawaii.
Professional Activities
As a YouTube performer and videographer I've created nearly 350 guitar performance videos. I enjoy writing both music and prose and many of my compositions and articles have been published in Guitar and Lute, Soundboard, Gendai Guitar and Makali'i. I'm also the author of four guitar books: Beginning to Play Classical Guitar, Beginning to Play Folk Guitar, Solos for Classic Guitar, and this webtext, Beginning to Play Guitar.
Starlight Gaze | Composed and performed by Peter Kun Frary
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