Robert Lindsey Nassif, Broadway composer:
"Peter Bloesch's holiday pops music is breathtakingly beautiful. These masterful creations are lush, inventive, joyous, and moving, and are my favorite of all carol arrangements. The magic and spirit of the season resounds from every skillfully crafted measure."
— Robert Lindsey NassifAward-winning Broadway composer and arranger of holiday music
Joe Harnell, Hollywood composer and arranger:
"Peter, I'm anxious to endorse how much I admire your pops music - it's an absolute delight! I just love the imagination that you've put into these sparkling, charming pieces.
"Your 'Fantasia on Two Christmas Carols' is brilliant - fast and fun throughout. And I was deeply moved by your sensitive arrangement of 'O Holy Night' - it's got to be one of the best arrangements of this carol out there. And how could I be anything but totally blown away by the grandeur and power of your 'Garland of Carols'? A 'tour de force' if I ever heard one!"I should also mention that I really enjoyed the playfulness and inventiveness of your 'Twelve Days of Christmas' arrangement. I have to admit I was surprised by how dramatically you've transformed this simple tune! This repetitive carol tends to 'drag' in a lot of arrangements I've heard, but in your hands it really sparkles with excitement, energy, and a top-notch orchestration. And what a great climax at the end! Very impressive, Peter!
"I hope that orchestras around the country will take note of these arrangements, because they're terrific!"
— Joe HarnellFilm Composer and Lecturer; Arranger for many celebrated singers, including Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, and Beverly Sills
(Note: Joe Harnell was one of my most influential mentors in the areas of pops arranging and film scoring, and I was deeply saddened to hear of his passing in July of 2005. This great man will be missed tremendously by many people.)
Dr. Christian Tiemeyer, conductor:
"Peter Bloesch is a wonderful composer, arranger, and orchestrator. His music exhibits prodigious gifts of creativity, drama, and a flair for orchestration. His music has thrilled our audiences with its freshness and emotional power.
"In addition, our orchestra and chorus members have expressed unusual delight in performing his music. In fact, the high degree of enthusiasm for his music expressed by the performers themselves has been quite remarkable, and speaks well of Bloesch's ability not only to write well for the orchestra as a whole, but also his ability to write satisfying and engaging parts for each individual instrument. Masterful orchestration is a hallmark of his writing.
"I recommend the music of Peter Bloesch wholeheartedly. Your orchestra and your audience will be delighted if you perform it!"
— Dr. Christian Tiemeyer
former Music Director, Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra
Dr. Randal A. McChesney, choral conductor:
"Peter Bloesch displays vitality and creativity in his holiday pops arrangements, which delight both musician and audience significantly. Specifically, Peter finds creative and fresh ways to match the music to the text, which is unfortunately quite a rare thing to be found within the more 'established' holiday pops repertoire.
"His penchant for the unexpected in works such as the choral/orchestral 'O Holy Night' and 'A Garland of Carols' startles audiences into rapt attention with their texture and beauty. Performances of these works with the Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale and Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra earned warm and enthusiastic audience reception.
"Having conducted a number of Peter's works, I can attest to the fact that his choral writing is consistently outstanding and a delight to sing. Accessible and artistic, the work of Peter Bloesch deserves attention and frequent performance."
— Dr. Randal A. McChesneyExecutive Director, Richards Institute of Education and Research; Past President, Choristers Guild Board of Directors; former Director, Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale
Richard P. Hoffman, choral conductor:
"It was my happy privilege to work with Peter Bloesch in 1997 on the première of his delightful work, 'Fantasia on Two Christmas Carols.' At the time, I served as Music Director for the Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale (which was the chorus-of-choice for the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra) and we were invited to sing Bloesch's new work. How refreshing and brilliant this piece turned out to be!
"Not content merely to write splendid choral music, Bloesch showed a mastery at orchestration, and the combined effect was dazzling. My choir was particularly impressed with Bloesch's choral writing and his thoughtful use of the voice. This work, and the several holiday pieces which have followed in subsequent years, are destined to be found in the repertoire of fine orchestras and choruses everywhere."
— Richard P. Hoffman
Professor of Music Education and Choral Music, Coe College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and former Director, Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale
The Cedar Rapids Gazette:
"The Concert Chorale's performance of 'Fantasia on Two Christmas Carols,' arranged by Iowan Peter Bloesch, was one of the highlights of the evening."
— The Cedar Rapids Gazette, excerpt from review by George C. Ford, reprinted with permission. © The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette:
"The 120-voice Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale and the CRSO opened the second half of the concert with a bravura performance of 'O Holy Night,' as arranged by Peter Bloesch. The Iowan is no stranger to CRSO patrons, who vigorously applauded a performance of his arrangement of 'Fantasia on Two Christmas Carols' at the 1997 Holiday Pops concert."
— The Cedar Rapids Gazette, excerpt from review by George C. Ford, reprinted with permission. © The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette:
"The Holiday Pops concert was lovely, as always. And therein lies the problem. This sure-fire audience favorite draws huge crowds to the Paramount Theatre year after year to hear the Cedar Rapids Symphony play the songs of the season... But it's always the same songs, the same arrangements, the same sing-along, the same recipe for success... Now give us something we don't expect!
"For one brief shining moment, Peter Bloesch did just that, and it was the highlight of the evening! In 'A Garland of Carols,' this young Iowa City composer took five familiar carols, strung them together, then twisted them brilliantly into a gleaming new work...
"The Cedar Rapids Concert Chorale handled the task with grace... Bloesch's orchestral parts were equally thrilling, with unusual harmonies rocking 'Away In A Manger,' before gently laying that segment to rest, then blasting through 'O Come, All Ye Faithful' with chimes and brass blaring."
— The Cedar Rapids Gazette, excerpt from review by Diana Nollen, reprinted with permission. © The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
