Peter Chinburg

A raucous crowd jumps from their seats as senior Peter Chinburg strikes the last chord of his guitar, allowing the strings to resonate throughout Assembly Hall at an EAR concert. The four-year senior is well known for his work as a co-head of the a capella groups PEADs and Exceteras, his commitment to the football team and for being one of the most approachable people on campus.

Chinburg has been singing since preschool and started playing the guitar in sixth grade, so he was familiar to the music stage upon his arrival at Exeter. Chinburg was selected for the a capella group PEADs as a prep, and he continued to pursue vocals in his lower year as he joined another a capella group, the Exceteras. He noted that last year the group faltered at times with leadership, in which case he would pick up the slack and run rehearsals for the ensemble. Chinburg appreciates getting to work with two very different group atmospheres, claiming that they each “have very different feels,” yet remain tight in their regimented singing.

Chinburg’s passion for music stems from a desire to push himself. “I like singing because there is a challenging aspect to it,” he said. He finds that performing solos is less nerve racking than Evening Prayer performances because he can vibe with a larger group.

Chinburg also reminisced on the many nights he’s played guitar with senior Will Ayscue. The pair have performed in school concerts for the past four years, most recently playing jazz at Senior Mic Night. Chinburg even wrote a song which was performed this past Friday for the senior class. Chinburg emphasized that for EAR concerts and nights such as Senior Mic Night, the focus isn’t entirely on being perfect and tight, but rather having fun and bringing lots of energy to the piece.

“Exeter has definitely taught me how to push myself more and just be a better person overall.”

After having played football since he was young, Peter joined the football team as a prep. “As an underclassman on the football team guys like Alex Farley and Will Edwards were always great guys to look up to. They taught you how to work hard,” he said. “Exeter has definitely taught me how to push myself more and just be a better person overall.” Following the example of the graduated seniors before him, Chinburg became a role model for everyone on the team. “Lighthearted, generous and dedicated,” are the first three words senior and co-captain Jack Farrell of the football team used to describe his teammate. Chinburg’s drive and passion on the field are a motivation to everyone, and he has been a symbol of the team’s motto “TOGETHER.” Even now, despite the fact that he is unable to keep playing due to too many concussions last year, Chinburg is always one of the first out on the field, supporting and making up for his lack of physical participation by boosting morale.

So far Chinburg has been having a great time in his last year at Exeter, largely due to his freedom in choosing senior studies he found interesting and knows little about. He stressed that finding a place that is as academically diverse as Exeter has been an important checkbox on his criteria for where he will attend next fall. “One thing I’ve focused on, especially in this year and last year, is getting the most out of my Exeter experience in the way of diversity. I think that’s become very evident and important in my college process,” said Chinburg.

Senior Tamer Sullivan, one of Chinburg’s best friends since prep year, said, “In my life, I don’t really like to put myself out there, but Peter is a guy who always says his mind and drags me to do things. Supportive and positive, that has rubbed off on me.”