Peter Nostrand, the retired chief executive officer of SunTrust Bank, now composes classical music in his Mason Neck home. This weekend, the Cleveland Pops will play two of his original pieces during its Valentine’s Day concert.
Why did you start composing after 33 years in the banking industry?
It was almost involuntary. My parents used to take us to Tanglewood in Massachusetts. We couldn’t afford the performances, so we went to the rehearsals and got to listen to Boston Symphony conductor Charles Munch and cellist Pablo Casals fight about how to interpret something.
My dad, an Episcopal clergyman who played violin and piano, taught me how to read and write music, but it went into hibernation for 40 years. When I retired three years ago, I found myself waking up in the middle of the night and tiptoeing downstairs to write scores. Sometimes when I’m at the grocery store, I hum melodies into a tape recorder or leave them on my answering machine at home.
