Mr. John Lettieri: The Timeless Power of Centuries-Old Music
Music has inspired Mr. John Lettieri throughout his whole life, and now, as both a performer and the conductor of the Riverdale Orchestra, he strives to inspire the next generation. He has mastered four different instruments including the piano, the harpsichord, the organ, and the bassoon. He leads a choral society, and plays for his church every Sunday. He has also played solos at Carnegie Hall, played on some of the largest organs in France, played on an organ played by Bach in Germany, and once, unknowingly, accompanied a famous singer from The 5th Dimension. More on that later.
Mr. Lettieri began his musical career at the age of seven. His parents bought him a piano and tried to teach him, but he wanted formal instruction. He kept playing, and, unlike most kids, no one ever had to nag him to practice. From such a young age, he felt a connection to music and wanted to continue playing.
Mr. Lettieri had a music teacher at 16 whom he remembers to this day. He reminisced on a turning-point moment in his musical career when his teacher asked him, “do you want to do this or not; do you want to do this or do you want to sell insurance or something?” From then on, Mr. Lettieri knew that he wanted to pursue a life in music, and continue not only playing, but also teaching and conducting.
When choosing pieces for the Riverdale orchestra, Mr. Lettieri chooses music that he knows will challenge his orchestra, but also music he knows that they can perform well. He wants to sustain their interest in the piece for the entire time that they are playing it. He does this because he understands that challenging people is the way to prompt their success, and they will eventually appreciate these pieces more.
Mr. Lettieri reflected on moments of satisfaction during his teaching: “I love it when they get it; when they really understand the music.” He loves to see when people understand the music they are playing because that enables them to embrace it. That moment, when the music clicks for the orchestra, is his favorite part of conducting. To him, it shows that they are not just playing because they were told to but rather because they love the music. It reminds him of when he was learning to play and first discovered his love for playing piano.
Along with passing on the joy he has found through playing music to his students through instruction, Mr. Lettieri enjoys performing and sharing his own musical projects. He does not have a singular favorite piece, but he is always most fond of whatever his current project is and that likes to allow others to hear that music as well. He has had a plethora of opportunities to perform for others and participates in four to five big performances every year. He conducts the Riverdale Orchestra two to three times per year, plays for his church every weekend, accompanies many singers on the piano and the organ, and performs with his choral society multiple times each year.
One of his favorite memories is when he was asked to play for a memorial service for a civil rights activist. He remembers that “they asked me to come in and accompany the niece of the person, and I remember that the funeral was for a civil rights activist who marched alongside MLK.” He was expecting to be asked to play an “Ave Maria or something like that,” so he was surprised when he showed up to rehearse and was given the score for a R & B piece. After accompanying the singer, he complimented her and was impressed by her talent. However, it was not until a few weeks after that he learned that he had played with a member of the band The Fifth Dimension. “That was a really fun memory and it was a great opportunity to be able to play alongside her.” Not only has Mr. Letierri been involved in music for his entire life, he has also been involving others in it and inspiring others through it.
