Dr. Robert Gehrenbeck, choral conductor:

“I have conducted eight different choral works by Peter Bloesch, and they were all fantastic, instantly becoming favorites of singers and audiences alike. His music is gorgeous, engaging, extremely well crafted, heartfelt, and delightful.

His gloriously spun out melodies go right to the heart, and his harmonies and textures are intriguing to the mind. He has an exquisite sense for working with words and capturing the essence of a text. In accompanied pieces, the piano parts are sensitive and compelling, and his orchestrations are first-rate.

I highly recommend his choral music!”

            — Dr. Robert Gehrenbeck
Director of Choral Activities at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
and Artistic Director of the Wisconsin Chamber Choir

Dr. Leonard Ratzlaff, choral conductor:

General comments:

“Peter has a very special gift for writing for the voice, and shows such great attention to the text. Our singers and audiences have thoroughly enjoyed his music!”

Comments about “Loch Lomond”:

“Our singers have very much enjoyed singing your arrangement of 'Loch Lomond'!
It is beautifully balanced and harmonized, and the solo lines are featured quite effortlessly in the texture. It has received a warm response from multiple audiences.”

— Dr. Leonard Ratzlaff
former Professor of Choral Music at the University of Alberta,

Dr. Eric Johnson, choral conductor:

“You have a lovely lyrical sensibility, and a keen ear for harmonic colors that propel your phrases in a beautiful way.”

            — Dr. Eric Johnson
Director of Choral Activities at Northern Illinois University
and Artistic Director of Cor Cantiamo

Dr. Buddy Baker,
former Director of Music at Walt Disney:

“Peter's choral music is full of drama, originality, and emotional directness. I'm most happy to recommend his choral pieces to choirs looking for fresh new music to sing.”

            — Dr. Buddy Baker
former Director of Music at Walt Disney

Dr. Gerald Gray, choral conductor and tenor soloist:

“Your choral music stands out as being particularly sublime.”

            — Dr. Gerald Gray
former Director of Choral Activities at SUNY Fredonia

Timothy Hankewich, conductor:

“Peter's choral writing is inventive, elegant, and dramatic — yet most of it can be mastered by choruses of all abilities.” 

 — Timothy Hankewich
Conductor and Music Director of Orchestra Iowa and its affiliated choirs

Dr. Randal A. McChesney, choral conductor:

“Having conducted a number of Peter's choral works, I can attest to the fact that his choral writing is consistently outstanding and a delight to sing. Accessible and artistic, the music of Peter Bloesch deserves attention and frequent performance.”

— Dr. Randal A. McChesney
Active choral clinician and adjudicator;
Past President, Choristers Guild Board of Directors;
former Executive Director, Richards Institute of Education and Research

Joe Harnell,
Grammy Award-winning composer and arranger:

“As you know, Peter, I've done a fair amount of vocal and choral writing myself, so I was quite curious to see your own choral pieces. Thanks for sharing them with me! I'm pleased to say you've written some really good choral music! I love your strong melodies and interesting harmonies. Good job!”

— Joe Harnell
Grammy Award-winning arranger for many celebrated singers,
including Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Beverly Sills;
Pupil of Aaron Copland and Nadia Boulanger

Richard P. Hoffman, choral conductor:

“Not content merely to write splendid choral music, Bloesch showed a mastery at orchestration as well, and the combined effect was dazzling. My choir was particularly impressed with Bloesch's choral writing and his thoughtful use of the voice.”

— Richard P. Hoffman
      former Professor of Music Education and Choral Music, Coe College

Dr. Abby Musgrove, choral conductor:

“ 'Christmas Hath a Darkness' is a beautiful and accessible piece with haunting harmonies and a profound text. This piece somehow manages to feel modern and ancient all at once. This was a perfect addition on our recent Christmas concert!”

— Dr. Abby Musgrove
Director of Choral Activities at Illinois College

A letter from a longtime fan of the vocal ensemble Chanticleer:

Dear Mr. Bloesch,

Being a former Bay Area resident and a longtime Chanticleer fan, I tuned in to Bay Area Mix on KDFC tonight. Of all the pieces in Chanticleer's Christmas program, I was riveted by your piece “Behold a Simple, Tender Babe” and immediately went to your website: I have been listening to everything for two hours.

What a rich discovery. I am an immediate fan! The lushness and exquisite harmonies, the passing notes, and the deeply-felt emotion in your choral music... Well, I am so excited to have been introduced to such a blazing talent!

Thank you for sharing your tremendous gift. It is food for the soul.

Sincerely,
Karen Currier
Fortuna, CA

The First Readings Project ~
A Chamber Choir in the Twin Cities:

The following are comments from members of The First Readings Project choir, who premiered my original setting of the John Donne poem, “Death, Be Not Proud”:

♦   “Such a pleasure to sing your choral piece, 'Death, Be Not Proud.' Great job setting this text!”

♦   “Beautiful, dramatic for the voices, fun to sing, effective!”

♦   “Cool colors, nice textures, and a fantastic marrying of the text and music. Thanks for a satisfying piece!”

♦   “So singable! Wonderful lines, shades, and shapes.”

♦   “I loved singing this — great vocal lines, really good text setting.”

Robert Lindsey Nassif, Broadway composer:

“Peter, every year I love playing your CD of 'A Symphony of Carols.' It's my favorite holiday CD and really captures the magic and majesty of the season. Your arrangements are so creative, masterful, and imaginative, and always put me immediately in the holiday spirit!”

— Robert Lindsey-Nassif
Award-winning Broadway composer

Dr. Eldon Obrecht, professor of composition:

“Peter, your composition, 'A Symphony of Carols,' is an impressive achievement — a compositional tour de force. I appreciated the variety in both the length and technique of your transitions between carols. I appreciated, even envied, the skill of your choral part-writing.

You have created an effective and well-crafted work. It should have a place in the standard choral repertoire.”

— Dr. Eldon Obrecht
Former Professor of Music Theory, Composition, and Double Bass
at the University of Iowa School of Music

Gerhard Krapf, composer:

“Peter, I am most impressed by your composition, 'A Symphony of Carols,' and its wonderful 'rightness,' integrity, and sincerity.

You have selected a beautiful sequence of carols, have mastered the formal challenge, and have embued the piece with a cohesive musical message — and all of this supported by your fine compositional technique, sense of color (beautiful scoring), and instrumentation. Congratulations!”

Referring to “All My Heart This Night Rejoices!”:   “This is a remarkable composition, Peter. In the style of Bach, you have created a very contrapuntal arrangement of this traditional carol. Very few composers would dare to swim in such treacherous waters of counterpoint. But you have done so, and have succeeded brilliantly! Bravo!”

— Dr. Gerhard Krapf
Composer, and Founder of the Organ Department
at the University of Iowa School of Music

Dr. Margaret Mueller, music professor:

“Peter, your compositions on the 'Sing We Noel' CD are magnificent — with rich and imaginative introductions, interludes, and descants — and quite thrilling settings!”

“Peter's carol 'There Is No Rose of Such Virtue' is just beautiful — so perfectly written, so memorable and singable — all choirs should have it.” 

Referring to the original carol “Sweet Baby, Sleep”:   “What a beautiful Christmas lullaby Peter wrote! The haunting melody, the perfect accompaniment with its moody joy, the sincerity of expression – superb! The piece has simple but beautiful dissonances throughout, and then a peaceful, affecting conclusion.”

            — Dr. Margaret Mueller
former Professor of Organ at Salem College