Peter Winkler (b. 1943) is Professor Emeritus of music at Stony Brook University, where he taught from 1971 to 2014.   His principal composition teacher was Earl Kim, with whom he studied at Princeton and Harvard Universities.   While a graduate student in the mid-1960's Peter was fatally seduced by the music of the Beatles, Motown, and Aretha Franklin, and began a life-long creative and scholarly involvement with popular music. His research and teaching dealt with the history and theory of popular music, as well as traditional composition and theory. His compositions include both concert works and music for the theater; many of his pieces involve a synthesis of popular and classical styles.   For example, his CD Silken Rags (2004), a collaboration with his wife, violinist Dorothea Cook, includes tributes to gospel music, Ghanaian highlife, Cuban music, American popular song, and tango.  Winkler's music has also appeared on Albany, Bridge, New World and Nutmeg records. Upon his retirement, the Stony Brook music department honored Peter Winkler for his "legacy of enthusiasm for the wonders of music in its myriad forms" and thanked him for his "energy, generosity of spirit, deep musicality, wonderful compositions, and contributions to the scholarship of popular music."