This scholarship was established in 2020 by the family of Elfred Bloedel.
Elfred Bloedel (1924-2020) held a love of music, especially church music, his entire life. He was musical himself early on, becoming his church’s organist at age 14 and playing tuba in school bands. While at Concordia-River Forest (now Concordia Chicago), he studied organ at the Rockefeller Chapel in Chicago. He continued to study music at the University of Iowa and the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.
He served as organist at many Lutheran churches: St. Matthew-Hamlet IN, Ascension-Riverside IL, Trinity-Cedar Rapids IA, Nazareth-Milwaukee, Grace-Milwaukee, Trinity-Waukesha WI, and Mount Calvary-Waukesha WI. He also served on the WELS Commission on Worship for many years and was part of the Hymnal Committee for the WELS 1993 hymnal, Christian Worship. He wrote a number of hymn arrangements for that hymnal and several others. He continued to play piano to lead worship and for pleasure the rest of his life.
“Elfred was passionate about giving glory to God through music—executed to the best of his ability—in worship,” his family states. They would like to honor their father by encouraging young church musicians to pursue excellence in organ, to enrich Lutheran worship, and to lead God’s people in giving praise to him.
Elfred Bloedel Memorial Organ Scholarship winners are juniors and seniors who have studied organ for at least two years at MLC and who demonstrate a desire to pursue proficiency and to enrich worship with excellent organ music. If multiple students qualify, preference will be given to those in need of financial assistance.
