These summaries appear further down this page:
Full Orchestra Music
String Orchestra Music
Choral Music
Chamber Music
NOTE: If you're looking for holiday music:
- for use on a pops concert, please visit the Holiday Pops section of this website.
- for use on a "traditional" holiday concert, please visit Holiday Music for the Concert Setting.
Introduction to the Concert Music of Peter BloeschComposing concert music is something I've always greatly enjoyed. But because my primary focus in recent years has been film music and Holiday Pops arranging, I haven't written nearly as much concert music as I would have liked. However, I'm eager to increase my productivity in this area, and plans are currently underway for a number of exciting new concert music projects.
Read on for an overview of each type of concert music.
I'm planning a number of new pieces for the full orchestra, including "A Festive Holiday," "Our Land of Freedom," and a clarinet concerto. To learn more about these pieces, click here. To hear examples of my writing for the full orchestra, I suggest that you visit my Film Music Sound Clips page.
Visit the section on Full Orchestra Music.
"Our orchestra and chorus members have expressed unusual delight in performing Peter Bloesch's music. In fact, the high degree of enthusiasm for his music expressed by the performers themselves has been quite remarkable."
— Dr. Christian Tiemeyer, former Music Director of the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra
For string orchestra, I've written "Remembrances," a lush and expressive piece that showcases the sound of a large, divided string ensemble. A number of other string orchestra pieces are currently in the works, such as "Prelude and Fugue for Two Cellos and String Orchestra" and a "Serenade for Strings."
For smaller string ensembles (around ten players), I've written several short pieces, including "A Holiday Interlude for Strings" and an arrangement of the Finnish folk tune "Nyland." Of course, while these smaller pieces would sound great played by a larger string ensemble, they are very "doable" with a small group of around ten players.
Visit the section on String Orchestra Music.
"Mr. Bloesch knows how to write for strings most effectively and knows how to bring out maximum resonance."
— Doris Preucil, Founder and Director Emeritus of the Preucil School of Music and former President of the Suzuki Association of the Americas
Since writing and arranging music for the holiday season is a particular passion of mine, it naturally follows that most of my choral works have been arrangements of holiday music, but I'm eager to expand my repertoire of choral music to include a number of original, non-holiday works.
In the meantime... If you're looking for a choral work that could be the centerpiece of your holiday concert, I suggest you consider "A Symphony of Carols." Originally written for a church service, it has proven to be a successful concert piece as well.
Or, if you're looking for holiday pieces on a smaller scale, you may want to consider some of the shorter pieces I've listed at Holiday Music for the Concert Setting, such as "Ding Dong! Merrily on High" - a brief a cappella setting that makes a great opening to a holiday concert. Also, please explore my new set of unaccompanied carols: "A Collection of A Cappella Carols."
Visit the section on Choral Music.
"My choir was particularly impressed with Bloesch's choral writing and his thoughtful use of the voice."
— Richard P. Hoffman, Professor of Music Education and Choral Music at Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and former Director of the Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale
I've written a variety of chamber music, including a Violin Sonatina and many works for Red Cedar Chamber Music, a wonderful flute and guitar duo who are sometimes joined by other musicians. My most recent work for Red Cedar was "A Holiday Suite," written for flute, viola, and guitar.
In addition, many new chamber music pieces are currently in the works, including a clarinet sonata, a horn sonata, and a string quartet.
Visit the section on Chamber Music.
"I find Peter's chamber music totally engaging. His in-depth knowledge of the classical style of composition and his background as a Hollywood film score composer combine to give his music a freshness and energy that is intellectually satisfying and viscerally stimulating."
— John Dowdall, Guitarist and Artistic Director of Red Cedar Chamber Music
