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 most 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

YouTube Comments about various pieces

Below is a sampling of comments that have been posted on my various YouTube videos. You can visit my YouTube channel here, and my Playlists here.

♦   “Can't tell you how stunning this was last night... [referring to Behold a Simple, Tender Babe]  Chanticleer premiered it in Chicago. 3 full seconds of silence after the final note. An absolutely perfect marriage of text and tune. The tender phrases evoke the manger scene, the subtle dissonances and suspensions create wonder and mystery, and the irregular meter, yet regular phrases are the perfect paradox of God in human form. A truly great work of art, Mr. Bloesch. I'll be purchasing this to perform next season!” — comment on “Behold A Simple, Tender Babe”

♦   “I'm trying to find a video of yours that I don't like! I just stumbled upon your gold mine of a channel by chance and now I'm hooked! Thank you so much for making such amazing music.” — comment on my YouTube channel

♦   “What peace from this lullaby stays with me 'all through the day.' And how blessed is the child who hears this at bedtime! Thank you, Peter, for reminding us that we are always children, no matter our age.” — comment on “All Through the Night”

♦   “A lovely piece, great combination of vocals and piano!” — comment on “Sleep”

♦   “It's very beautiful. You describe it well. Definitely a folk-like, Appalachian feel in the melody. Congrats!” — comment on “Jesus Christ the Apple Tree”

♦   “Nice! I really think the song is very graceful! Such a great piece!” — comment on “There Is No Rose of Such Virtue”

♦   “Amazing music, you are so talented!” — comment on “A Friend Indeed: The Bill Sackter Story: End Credits”

♦   “(sighs blissfully) It's official! Out of all of your songs on here, this one is DEFINITELY my favorite!” — comment on “My Love Is Like a Red, Red Rose”

♦   “Lovely! I was delighted to stumble upon [your setting of this text]. It is a beautiful, more modern take on it. I think you present the poem very well. So far, your [setting] is definitely my favorite after Ord's.” — comment on “Adam Lay Ybounden”

“Sing We Noel!”  (a holiday concert & CD)

♦   “The 'Sing We Noel' CD has truly lifted my spirits this holiday season. Congratulations on this outstanding production! I have given many of these CDs as holiday gifts.”

♦   “I found the compositions and arrangements of 'Sing We Noel' truly beautiful. My parents also loved it. They said that was the best 'Joy to the World' they had ever heard!”

♦   “Thank you again for the amazing holiday concert! The new works were lovely and the choral/orchestral arrangements were wonderful.”

“A Symphony of Carols”  (a holiday concert & CD)

♦   “The 'Symphony of Carols' concert was absolutely magnificent! Words are not enough to describe how beautiful the music was. You could feel in your spirit the joy and meaning of the Christmas season.”

♦   “Dear Peter, your 'Symphony of Carols' was really great. As I listened, I kept thinking I should be seeing the big screen, since your music was so full of drama!”

♦   “ 'A Symphony of Carols' is really one of the most delightful and delighting pieces I've ever sung. Wonderful choral writing, Peter!”  — Comment from one of the singers in the debut performance

♦   “We were really so impressed with Peter's writing for voices and instruments in 'A Symphony of Carols.' We especially enjoyed the brilliant prelude to 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing' and the quietly reverent 'Personent Hodie' with its gorgeous brass interludes.”

“A Friend Indeed: The Bill Sackter Story”
(my film score for an inspirational PBS documentary)

♦   “This documentary is very moving, very touching, and the music score really is a gem. The story is a living testament of how human beings should treat each other.”

♦   “Thank you SO much for an incredible film — the story of one man's life and how much he made a difference to so many! Remarkable footage and amazing music that depicts the beauty of Bill.”

♦   “This documentary touched me deeply. We have a child that has high-functioning autism. The message of this film is what I feel for our own child. Thanks for an incredible experience. The music made the movie so moving. I cried all the way through the movie — as did everyone around me!”

♦   “What a delightful story we experienced regarding the life of Bill Sackter. Lane Wyrick's directing and editing and Peter Bloesch's musical background were both highly impressive! This documentary is the kind of story that one hopes millions of people in this country will see. I congratulate you on this magnificently successful humanitarian story.”

♦   “You need to get a soundtrack release out. Incredible music!”

“Death, Be Not Proud”
(an original choral setting of the John Donne poem)

Comments from members of The First Readings Project choir, who premiered this piece:

♦   “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.”

“Sweet Baby, Sleep”  (an original carol)

♦   “It was a great pleasure to hear your composition, 'Sweet Baby, Sleep.' What an enchanting lullaby you've written — so gentle and tuneful!”

♦   “I enjoyed performing this piece on my recital. It was simple but moving and made a nice contrast to the other pieces on the program.”  — Comment from a soprano who performed the piece (as a solo)

“All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name”
(a congregational hymn arrangement)

♦   “Wow! That was one powerful hymn setting we sang today! It sure sounded like a bigger orchestra than the one we actually had!”

“A Christmas Interlude for Oboe and Organ”
(an arrangement of two traditional carols)

♦   “We enjoyed the offertory very much. The oboist was amazing and really brought the piece to life. This piece really showed off how an oboe can sing! We hope your piece gets lots more performances.”

“Remembrances”  (for string orchestra)

♦   “Your string piece 'Remembrances' was truly wonderful. I had to 'weep a little weep' when I heard your arrangement of 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.' It was so full of emotion and like no other 'Twinkle' I've heard before.”