Biography

Jeffrey Blersch (b. 1967) is an organist, choral conductor, and composer of music for the church.  He serves as Professor of Music at Concordia University, Nebraska, a position he has held since 2002, where he teaches organ, courses in music theory, composition, arranging, and is the conductor of the Cantamus Women’s Choir.  He is a graduate of the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music where he received degrees in organ performance and music education, and of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where he earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance.  His principal teachers have included Roberta Gary, Garth Peacock, and Marilyn Mason.

Best known for his creative hymn interpretations, he regularly performs hymn festivals and recitals across the United States.  Performances have included conventions of the American Guild of Organists, Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, and National Association of Pastoral Musicians, as well as the Meyerson Symphony Center, Dallas, and the Kauffman Center, Kansas City.  His performances have been featured on American Public Media’s Pipedreams, and The Lutheran Hour.

Blersch has been an active church musician since being appointed organist of Peace Lutheran Church, Cincinnati, Ohio at age eight.  His organ, choral, and piano compositions and collections, which number over 250 titles, are published with Concordia Publishing House and Northwestern Publishing House, and his original hymn tunes have been included in three hymnals, including Lutheran Service Book.  He has released two compact disc recordings of his own compositions and arrangements: Resounding Alleluias, and On Christmas Night.

Prior to his appointment at Concordia, Dr. Blersch served as Cantor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Peoria, IL, Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Concordia University, Ann Arbor, MI, and as an elementary music specialist in the Brunswick City Schools, Brunswick, Ohio. Jeff has served as a national director at large on the board of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians and currently serves as Dean of the Lincoln Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.