“My mission—as an artist, teacher, mentor and friend—is to pass along my knowledge, experience and passion for music to the young, particularly the most disadvantaged, and to make the world a better place by what I do.”
Welcome to my website, and time capsule. Before you begin, quick question. Are you the type of person with little time (or patience) for having to read through a lot of stuff, and would just like to hear some great music?
Over the years, I’ve had the honor of performing in some truly iconic spaces from Carnegie Hall and the Opera House in Vienna to Avery Fisher Hall (now David Geffen Hall) and Place des Arts in Montreal, to name but a few. I’ve recorded at Capitol Studios in Hollywood and shared the stage with the Ray Charles Orchestra during a live performance in Moscow back in 1994.
Each venue holds a story, a rhythm, and a memory. You’ll find images from these moments including the Moscow Opera, Radio City Music Hall, and a close-up of me with the Ray Charles band—woven throughout this site as part of the journey.
Peter Renard (“Pete”) Beltran is a versatile and highly accomplished tenor and bass trombonist from the Los Angeles area, skilled in genres ranging from R&B and Commercial to Latin, Jazz, and Classical. He studied with esteemed musicians including Roy G. Main and Jacques Voyemant. His professional career began at age 19, touring the Pacific Northwest and Canada. He fulfilled a major ambition by playing with “name” big bands, holding the bass trombone chair with the Harry James Orchestra (1977), the Buddy Rich Big Band (1979-82), and the Ray Charles Orchestra (1991-94), all while the legendary leaders were still touring. He also toured as a Columbia Artist and internationally with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. A nine-year member of the Bill Holman Orchestra, he recorded on Grammy-nominated albums and was one of only two bass trombonists selected by Holman to record on Natalie Cole’s multi-platinum album, Unforgettable.
My performance credits include backing or recording with legends such as Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Nancy Wilson, and Peggy Lee. I’ve appeared in film and on television shows like The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Merv Griffin Show, and my pit orchestra experience includes a national tour of The Pirates of Penzance and appearances in the Broadway smash-hit Cats. As a classical artist, I have performed demanding pieces such as Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. I have been fortunate enough to play at venerable venues around the globe, including Carnegie Hall, the Vienna Opera House, and Royal Festival Hall, and appeared at major international jazz festivals. In 1995, I took a necessary break from music to serve as a Salesian Missionary Volunteer for a year, working with low-income and farm worker children in Watsonville, CA, which was a transformative and profoundly rewarding experience. Now, at 64, I am resuming my BA degree in music at California State University Los Angeles with the goal of joining the faculty.
Lastly, I want to emphasize that you must stay away from drugs and alcohol. They poison the mind and body and rob you of life. If you think you have a problem, please seek help. I wish I had sought help sooner because, if I had, there’s no telling what I could have accomplished. But, as they say, “better late than never.” With nearly 18 years of sobriety and many more without marijuana, I have a new lease on life and see a bright future filled with opportunity and meaning.
