My Maranatha Journey – Peter Wright
Mr. Peter Wright was born right before Maranatha started and grew up with Maranatha in his mind. In the early 70s, Wright’s older sister went to Maranatha Baptist Academy as a junior in high school and later went on to college there. After her, both of his brothers also attended Maranatha.
“To some degree you don’t want to do what the rest of the family does,” says Wright. But after a concert at his church by Michael James, Wright began to rethink attending Maranatha.
John, Wright’s older brother, was determined that Wright would test out of first year music at Maranatha. “He would come home some weekends and try to teach me theory,” reminisces Wright. “But I just didn’t like it. ‘All you’re doing is giving a name to stuff I already do’” he remembers thinking.
But, no matter what, sight singing and ear training were easy, but theory, not so much.
Still, Wright majored in music, sang in several quartets that would sing for different occasions, and began a quartet that stuck together even after school. He also got to travel with the Watchmen for 4 summers.
“One of the things that sold me on Maranatha was the opportunity to get involved and do things. I wanted to travel,” Wright remarks. Getting to travel with the Watchmen was “a musically golden time for me.”
Doing two to three concerts a day, he was constantly put under pressure. “I would work on new arrangements and play them in the preludes. Nobody really listens to a prelude, but as a pianist, you think they do.”
But it wasn’t without struggles either. “I had seldom played for congregational singing,” he explains. “As a touring pianist, people figure you know what you’re doing. So, I learned to play congregational singing by fire. I grew that year more than any other time I can think of.”
After college, Wright served as assistant music and youth pastor in Danville Illinois for 21 years.
How did he get back to Maranatha?
“As time went on in Danville, I felt more and more comfortable in music,” Wright says. “I occasionally traveled with my family and with a quartet. So, in 2012 when Dr. Davis called me and said, ‘We’ve got a communications director position open,’ I thought, ‘psh. No, I don’t think so.’” But after talking to Pastor Davis and Wright’s older brother, Wright begin to pray about it.
“I came up to interview in December, and all the students were gone. I entered the communications office, and I felt awkward. For the first time I didn’t have music to back me. For the first time, people didn’t care how well I could play the piano . . . But God made it really clear that this was the direction He wanted me to go.”
He arrived in February of 2012 as Maranatha’s Communications Director, without any connection to music at Maranatha.
Then one day that summer, Wright said, “I was sitting in my office missing my youth group and missing my choir when Dr. Marriott called and asked if I would direct Chorale. I said, ‘YES!’”
Ever since then, Wright has continued to be Maranatha’s Communications Director, but also works with Chorale – a choir comprised of “amazing young people who want to serve the Lord, and want to sing.” He loves the time he gets to practice and travel together. “Going out with my choir singing is a whole new level of awesome,” Wright remarks. “We rehearse together and then get to go present what God has given to us.”
Now, Wright directs Chorale, travels with his family, plays in chapel, leads a men’s quartet, plays in the Symphonic Band, and will soon begin to work with the Heritage Singers. He is also nearly done with his master’s degree in music from MBU.
“The music classes here, especially with Dr. Brown, have been phenomenal.” He takes private conducting lessons, which he says, “helps me get out of the rut and try new things.” He loves learning how to take students to the next level, how to address the unique needs of each individual, and how to become a greater musician.
Although Wright has only been a faculty member for 5 years, his Maranatha journey began when Maranatha began.
Whatever he does, he does to glorify God and live out his life verse – Colossians 3:11b – “Christ is all and is in all.”