 After a period studying classical guitar at the Fitznell School of Music in England, he wrote his first revue, called "Carnival a la District Six", based on the New Year celebrations in Cape Town.In the 1980s, Petersen formed a band, called Sapphyre, that played interpretations of traditional Cape Malay songs.In 1986 he and David Kramer collaborated on the first of a number of musicals together, "", exploring the culture and history of the Coloured community in Cape Town.