Resch Honored with Portrait from Kantorei Alumni
FORT WAYNE, Ind., May 22, 2026—Professor and Kantor Emeritus Richard Resch knew that he was going to be awarded an honorary doctorate at Commencement at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), May 15. What he didn’t know was that he was going to be surprised with a portrait in his honor at the Alumni Reunion banquet May 14.
“A church musician’s legacy lives on not in himself, but in the work he does,” said CTSFW Kantor Kevin Hildebrand, who, along with Dr. Paul Grime, the Rev. Daniel Burfiend, and Dr. Todd Peperkorn, spearheaded the portrait project, which was a gift from alumni of the Kantorei, a select choir of seminary students that Resch founded in 1978.
“Richard Resch’s service to the seminary and the church continues to thrive in the Kantorei, in the vibrant musical life of our campus, and in faithful pastors who help their congregations sing the faith week in and week out,” Hildebrand said. “This portrait helps us remember not only his faithful and humble service but the larger goal that he helps the church achieve.”
Resch became the director of Chapel Music at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne (CTSFW), in 1977. He received his Master of Divinity degree in 1988 and was ordained and called to CTSFW and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Fort Wayne, as kantor. At St. Paul’s, he produced four CDs with his wife, Dr. Barbara Resch, featuring children singing hymns. He taught liturgics and homiletics at CTSFW and was a member of the LCMS Commission on Worship (1992–2001), the Hymnal Supplement 98 Committee (1997–98), and the Hymnody Committee of Lutheran Service Book (1999–2004).
In 2000, Resch launched the Good Shepherd Institute of Pastoral Theology and Sacred Music with co-director Dr. Arthur A. Just Jr. During his years at CTSFW and with the Institute, Resch produced seven Kantorei CDs, one CD for the Good Shepherd Institute, and the DVD Singing the Faith: Living the Lutheran Musical Heritage. He retired from the seminary in July 2014.
Dr. Todd Peperkorn, Rev. Stephen Starke, Professor and Kantor Emeritus Richard Resch, Dr. Paul Grime, Dr. Barbara Resch, Dr. Arthur Just Jr., and Kantor Kevin Hildebrand after the surprise portrait presentation.
The portrait of Resch, painted by artist John Hrehov, a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, features Resch directing, with two Kantorei singers in the foreground. If viewers look closely, they’ll notice that the subjects are holding music entitled “Of the Father’s Love Begotten,” which is the Kantorei’s signature hymn, sung every year in a setting composed by Resch.
“We wanted the portrait to encapsulate how we know him best: leading the song of the church within Kramer Chapel,” said Hildebrand.
Prior to the portrait unveiling, Peperkorn, who served as banquet speaker, reflected on how God uses people to preserve the Gospel in our midst, giving a special nod to his friend and mentor, Kantor Resch. During his student days at CTSFW, Peperkorn sang in the Kantorei, and the experience had a significant influence on the trajectory of his life and ministry.
“Richard, the Blessed Kantor, brought an understanding of the pastoral nature of church music that grounded everything I learned in the lives of real people,” said Peperkorn. “On tour, these songs and hymns and spiritual songs gave shape to what it means to be Lutheran, and really what it means to be a Christian. . . . Kantor Resch’s service to the church was always going out, always looking at what this meant for the shut-in, the people in the pew, the church. The Gospel of Jesus was always front and center.”
Professor and Kantor Emeritus Richard Resch with Dr. Jon S. Bruss, CTSFW president, at Commencement May 15, after Resch was awarded a Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa.
Resch’s portrait will be added to CTSFW’s permanent art collection, which includes twenty-five other faculty portraits.