Slack key guitarist JEFF PETERSON, the son of a Paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy), grew up on Haleakala Ranch on Maui. Peterson’s fluency in a variety of guitar styles, including jazz andclassical, has distinguished him as a prominent young artist with his own personal approach to slack key. He was a featured artist on Hawaii’s first GRAMMY Award-winning CD, "Slack Key Guitar Volume 2" (Best Hawaiian Music Album 1995).
　　Peterson has performed with Eric Clapton, James Galway, Michael Feinstein, the Honolulu Symphony, Ledward Kaapana, Dennis Kamakahi, Hawaii Opera Theatre, jazz bassist Rufus Reid, shakuhachi master Riley Lee, and soprano Dana Hanchard. He has appeared in Europe, Asia, Australia and the US at countless venues, including the Symphony Space in New York City, and has also performed privately for Bill and Hilary Clinton.
　　Jeff Peterson has studied with David Russell, Carlos Barbosa Lima, Benjamin Verdery, Ozzie Kotani, Larry Koonse, and Joe Diorio, and has performed in master classes for Scott Tennant, Antigoni Goni, Ricardo Cobo, and Dusan Bogdonovic.
　　Peterson taught classical guitar at the University of Hawaii at Manoa for seven years. He is featured annually in Hawaii’s Slack Key Guitar Festivals and can be seen at Michel’s in Waikiki every weekend he doesn’t have out of town engagements. He currently lives in Honolulu with his wife, Kahealani.