Delores Bruch Cannon (1934–2012)

Delores Bruch Cannon, professor emerita in the School of Music and former associate dean for faculty in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, died October 22, 2012, in Independence, Missouri.  Born September 22, 1934, in Independence, she developed an early interest in music and was an accomplished pianist by the time she was in junior high school. In 1956 she graduated from Central Missouri State College with a B.S.Ed. and highest honors in English language and literature.  Early in her career, she taught English and music in Missouri schools.

With her musical interests increasingly focused on pipe organ performance and musicology, she earned an M.M. with honors from the University of Missouri at Kansas City in 1969 and a D.M.A. from the University of Kansas in 1979. She taught at  Emporia State University, the University of Kansas, and Park College (Missouri) before joining the faculty of the University of Iowa School of Music in 1979 as assistant professor of organ performance.  She was promoted to professor of music in 1987.

She was a superior, inspirational teacher in both studio teaching and in academic courses.  She accepted difficult course challenges and always reached the highest level of excellence in presentation and in expectation. Her students were always aware that they were studying with an individual who never ceased to learn.  She championed a very broad repertoire in teaching and performance.

She maintained a very active career as a teacher, recitalist, and consultant. Her research interests included organ design and literature, music history, liturgics, and historic  organs. Her interest in historic instruments led to fellowships and research grants in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Mexico. She performed in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Europe. She consulted for various professional groups, churches, seminaries, colleges, and universities. She held leadership positions at local, regional and national levels in the American Guild of Organists. As a founding member of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians, Delores served on its National Board of Directors and was a contributing editor for the journal Cross-Accents. As a member of the Organ Historical Society, she was a founding member of the Eastern Iowa Chapter.

She was head of organ performance at the University of Iowa from 1989 to 1992. From 1992 to 1993 she was Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. She retired from the University of Iowa in 1999 as professor emerita and made her home in Lee's Summit, Missouri.