The Peter Duchin
Big Band
Click the links below to listen to the World Famous Peter Duchin Big Band
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In The Mood and More
Memory/Loves Theme
THE DUCHIN NAME MEANS SIMPLY THE
ULTIMATE IN ENTERTAINMENT & MUSIC!
For more than three decades, Peter Duchin has extended the music legend which his father, Eddy Duchin, began in the thirties. A pianist and composer, Peter is known primarily as a band leader, having formed one of the most versatile, prestigious, and sought-after bands of the modern era. Today, the “Duchin” sound is world-renowned.
Peter is President of Duchin Entertainment, the multifaceted New York based entertainment complex. A satellite office in Naples, Florida, is owned and operated by Ron Amodea, his New York band leader who toured extensively worldwide with Peter. Traveling the globe, from London to Paris, from Venice to Vancouver, from South Africa to Hong Kong, Peter and his orchestra have performed at some of the most exclusive celebrations ever held: presidential inaugural balls, weddings, private parties, charity benefits, political conventions, college functions to college concerts and proms.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN ...
Duchin's background is a remarkable mixture of show-business and high society. His mother, Marjorie Oelrichs, was the daughter of a socially prominent Newport and New York family and a celebrated style-setter in the 1920's and 1930's. Tragically, Marjorie died of complications in childbirth shortly after Peter’s birth. Heartbroken, Eddy Duchin asked his good friends, Averell and Marie Harriman, to care for his son Peter.
Peter was then raised by the wealthy statesman and his wife while Eddy toured with his band. He later served with distinction as a Navel combat officer in World War II. The beautiful and tragic story of Peter's parents is wonderfully told in the 1956 movie , The Eddy Duchin Story, starring Tyron Power and Kim Novak.
As a youngster, Peter began playing music with his father. Later, he played in bands at Eaglebrook and Hotchkiss schools in New England. Peter continued to develop his love for music at Yale, where he received his BA in music and French Literature. He also attended the Sorbonne in Paris where he studied composition with the widow of the distinguished French composer, Arthur Honegger. During a two-year tour with the US Army in Panama, he played in the US Army Band and helped form a jazz orchestra that performed to great acclaim in Panama City, throughout Latin America and on The Ed Sullivan Show.
When Duchin returned to New York, he embarked on a highly successful studio career of over 26 recordings. In 1962 he opened with his band in The Maisonette, at the St. Regis Hotel, which quickly became the most successful supper club in town. His signature sound incorporated a repertoire of contemporary rock and the society sound. In 1964 he took on the duties of musical coordinator for President Lyndon Johnson's inauguration. After this prestigious event, Peter and his band went on the road for their first national tour. Upon his return to New York City, he organized Peter Duchin Orchestras which quickly became the standard for exceptional party and society entertainment worldwide.
Private Clients Include
Every Presidential Inaugural Ball since 1961 for the following Presidents:
John F. Kennedy
Lyndon B. Johnson
Richard M. Nixon
Gerald R. Ford
James E. Carter
Ronald Reagan
George H. W. Bush
William J. Clinton
George W. Bush
President Bill Clinton
50th Birthday Party Waldorf Astoria, NY
President Reagen
White House 1988 Birthday Party for Katherine Graham
Luciano Pavarotti
Birthday Party, San Domenico Restaurant, NYC
Truman Capote
Black & White Ball, San Francisco
Robert Duvall
New Years Eve Party, New York City (2 yrs.)
Donald Trump
Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach - New Years Eve Party (2 yrs.)
Michael Eisner
CEO, Disney Corporation
Marvin Davis
owner, Universal Studios, Hollywood - Christmas Party (5 yrs.)
Governor Christine Whitman, NJ
Inaugural Ball
Governor David Beasley, SC
Inaugural Ball
Wedding Celebrations
the most notable include:
Sarah Jessica Parker & Matthew Broderick
The Kennedy Family
Arnold Schwarzenegger & Maria Shriver
Ivana Trump & Riccardo Mazzucchelli
Matthew Broderick & Sarah Jessica Parker
The Henry Kissinger Family
Joan Rivers & Family
Charles Schultz, US Secretary of State
Katherine Harris, FL Secretary of State
... and hundreds of other weddings nationwide
Television Performances
NBC TODAY SHOW
Jerry Lewis Labor Day MDA Telethon (15 yrs.)
ABC Good Morning America
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Telethon (10 yrs.)
In Concert With
a small sample of the top names with whom we have performed - there are hundreds more
Frank Sinatra
Ray Charles
Tony Bennett
Peter Allen
The Four Seasons
Natalie Cole
Carly Simon
Gatlin Brothers
Sammy Davis Jr.
Liza Minelli
Bobby Darin
Bill Cosby
Kenny G.
Dion
Lenny Welch
Take 6
Maureen Mc Govern
Joni Mitchell
Vic Damone
Jimmy Roselli
Al Green
Alan King