Even as a young child, John Torrenti recalls being drawn to the piano when visiting his grandparents' home on Ferry Road.

"I began playing piano and picking out tunes by ear before I could even read music. It was both a gift-and a curse," John recalls.

A gift because he could read music well enough, but could improvise quickly. A curse because his early talent meant he had little motivation to work hard to improve his sight-reading and playing skills. John recalls that it really wasn't until college that he began to focus on perfecting and refining his piano-playing skills.

Joseph Tague was the mentor and teacher at Ithaca College who really inspired him.

"I took two piano lessons a week with him. He gave me the inspiration to do the best work to improve and correct bad habits," says John. "Consistency and practice time makes you better."

The hard work paid off when he won the student Concerto Competition and, after a summer getting coached by Alton Jones at Juilliard, performed with the orchestra. After earning his master's degree, he returned to his hometown and started teaching music and band at Old Saybrook High School (OSHS), teaching there for 35 years before retiring as music and band director.

"When I started teaching, I hadn't planned on staying in public education because my first love was piano," says John. "But then music education became my first love and focus."

While at OSHS, John was involved in producing more than 40 different musical productions starting with the first one, Oklahoma, in 1963. For him that one was particularly memorable because the first performance, scheduled for Nov. 22, was suddenly canceled after John F. Kennedy was assassinated earlier that day. The show must go on, however, and the student musical had a successful run instead in the first two weekends of December.

The other truly memorable moment for him was in the 1970s, when he and the school staff took the high school band to Disney World for the first time to march down Disney's Main Street in the parade. Parents and even then-first selectman Barbara Maynard and her husband came along on that first trip to cheer the band as it marched.

"It was an amazing experience," says John.

Another legacy for John are the annual regional and all-state music festivals organized by Connecticut Music Educators Association (CMEA). When John first became involved, CMEA had just an all-state music festival-and no auditions were required. Today, annually CMEA organizes high school regional music festivals, an all-state festival, and even annual middle school music festivals for which successful auditions-and top scores-are the currency of admission.

John helped to organize, expand, and support these student musician development programs as a member of CMEA's Student Activities Committee, the state CMEA Board of Directors, and as CMEA president.

When John retired from high school teaching 20 years ago, he didn't have any plans…but it wasn't long before he was teaching again, this time piano with the Thames Valley Music School at Connecticut College. He's still teaching piano at the school to adults and youth about 10 hours each week. He's also taught music education to Connecticut College music majors and is a substitute organist and regular choir member-he sings tenor-at Christ the King Church in Old Lyme.

As involved as he's been in music, John has another passion: civic affairs and politics. Both his father and mother were involved in town Republican politics (his father once served as selectman) and their interest in civic affairs he learned to share. John served as chairman of the Old Saybrook Republican Town Committee for six years and even served on the Republican State Central Committee for a while as a representative of the 20th District. He was recently appointed by the Old Saybrook Board of Selectmen as the town's representative on the The Kate's Board of Directors.

"I've always had an interest in politics," says John. "But the thing I really enjoyed doing was music education."