 He also completed his music studies and was already an acclaimed musician at the age of 18.After the death of his father in 1918, he moved back to Smyrna and substituted him in the direction of the famous Smyrna Estudiantina (also known as "ta Politakia").After the destruction of Smyrna in 1922, Peristeris moved to Athens, where he soon learned to play the bouzouki and became known as a composer and lyricist.