Richard John Bloesch

Richard John Bloesch

Iowa City

Richard Bloesch, 95, of Iowa City, Iowa, passed away peacefully on February 12, 2026. A gentle and gifted person, he shared his musical talents freely through his many years of teaching and conducting in the School of Music at The University of Iowa and at the Congregational United Church of Christ in Iowa City.

Richard was born in Bremen, Indiana, on December 1, 1930 to Herbert and Adele (Silberman) Bloesch. He grew up in Monee, Illinois, and Chicago.

He majored in music and philosophy at Elmhurst College, graduating in 1952. His early graduate study was in theology at Union Theological Seminary, New York City, where he received a Master of Divinity degree. In 1955 he married his close college friend Ethel Wobus. They moved to Akron, Ohio, where he served two years as assistant pastor at Grace United Church of Christ.

Richard then turned to academic study in music, receiving a Master of Sacred Music degree from Union Seminary and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Illinois. His study also included working one year with the renowned choral conductor, Elaine Brown (founding director of Singing City in Philadelphia), and a year of study as a Fulbright Scholar at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

In the early 1960s, while on the faculty at Salem College in North Carolina, he organized and led an interracial community choir in Winston-Salem, the first of its kind in an era and place where racial integration was not yet accepted.

In 1967 Richard joined the music faculty at The University of Iowa, where he taught a sequence of courses in choral literature, conducted the Camerata Singers, and advised doctoral students, until his retirement in 2002. He co-authored a monograph on choral music for college choirs, and he was on the Editorial Board of The Choral Journal, published by the American Choral Directors Association.

Richard also served as director of music at the Congregational United Church of Christ in Iowa City for 40 years, retiring from this position in 2011.

A lifelong student of the piano, Richard studied piano privately with Leonard Shure and Florence Kirsch, both students of the renowned Artur Schnabel. His sensitive playing brought joy to many people, whether demonstrating musical phrasing in his choral rehearsals or collaborating with singers in concerts.

Richard’s family life was anchored in his devotion to his wife Ethel, sons David and Peter, and his grandson Philip. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Donald G. Bloesch, and his sister-in-law Brenda M. (Jackson) Bloesch.

The family expresses deep gratitude to the staff of the Oaknoll Retirement community for providing a wonderful home for Richard and Ethel for the past eleven years and for Oaknoll's loving care during Richard’s two-month illness. We also wish to thank the staff of The UIHC Downtown Medical Center and to Iowa City Hospice for their compassionate care in Richard’s closing days.

A memorial service will be held at the Congregational United Church of Christ in Iowa City on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 11 AM.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Music Fund of the Congregational United Church of Christ, Iowa City; to Iowa City Hospice; or to a charity organization of your choice.

Online condolences at www.lensingfuneral.com.