Malcolm C. Peyton ’54 *56

Mac died Jan. 26, 2025.

At Exeter he was active in soccer, dramatics, and debating.

At Princeton, he majored in music, where his primary interest was in composition. He participated in freshman soccer, joined Ivy Club, and earned an MFA in music in 1956.

In 1965, after study of music and composition abroad, Mac joined the faculty of the New England Conservatory in Boston, where he taught for more than 50 years and served as the longtime chair of the composition department. A revered and beloved teacher of composition and music theory, a skilled pianist and conductor, and the composer of exquisite pieces including vocal chamber music and two string quartets, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Conservatory in 2016.

Throughout his life Mac loved adventurous travel and the outdoors. He is remembered for his energy, curiosity, and irreverent sense of humor.

He is survived by his wife, Barbara Winchester; their daughter, Laura Peyton; four daughters from his first marriage to Joan Timmerman Peyton: Susanna, Bettina, Emily, and Jessica; 14 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.