Frank F Hoffmeister

Frank Hoffmeister, 82, of Grimes, Iowa died May 12, 2026 at Walnut Ridge Care Center in Clive. 

He was born December 2, 1943 in the Bronx, New York and as a young boy had two loves: baseball and singing. He began his extensive singing career as a professional boy soprano soloist at Christ Church in Greenwich, CT. where he lived after his parents moved from the Bronx. He graduated from Greenwich High School. Although his love for baseball would continue only as a treasured sport and as adult player on various amateur teams, and an avid Boston Red Sox fan, music would become his destiny. 

He received his B.S. in Music Education from Ithaca College in Ithaca, NY; his M.M. in Vocal Performance from New England Conservatory of Music in Boston; and he completed Advanced Study at the London Opera Centre in London, England. He met Soprano Joyce Andrews in New York City and they married in 1979, making New York City their home. 

Frank enjoyed a long and distinguished career as a Professional Tenor and sang and performed in all 50 states in the U.S. He performed in South America four times as well as in many European countries. With 21 recordings to his credit (including Waverly Consort, Boston Camerata, New York Vocal Arts, Bach Ensemble with Joshua Rifkin), Frank also recorded numerous solo CDs. Highlights of his career included singing and recording with Leonard Bernstein and the Boston Symphony Orchestra and performing as soloist with many orchestras, chamber ensembles and choral ensembles. These included: Newport Music Festival, New York Chamber Ensemble, New York Chamber Soloists, Baltimore Symphony, Portland Oregon Symphony, Portland Maine Symphony, Rome Italy Radio Orchestra, Vermont Symphony, Chicago Symphony Hall, Carnegie Recital Hall, New Hampshire Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Ensemble, Opera Company of Boston, and The American Opera Company.

Frank was sought after throughout his career as a Tenor Soloist for the beauty of his sound and his consummate musicianship. Frank joined the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Music Faculty in 1987 where he taught voice and opera for 24 years. Previously he taught voice at the University of Southern Maine and Harvard University. While at UW Oshkosh Frank received grants to research the songs of Charles Villiers Stanford at the British Library in London, resulting in his published Vocal Anthology. He also researched the vocal music of Benjamin Britten at the Red House Library in Aldeburgh, England which had been the home of renowned musicians Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears. 

Frank, Joyce and Alice lived in England during his two sabbaticals and made life long friends there. Throughout their many years as husband and wife, Frank and Joyce performed together in countless professional venues and taught together at UW Oshkosh as Full Professors in Music. Here Frank passed on his esteemed musical experiences to many young singers. After their retirements from the university, he and Joyce relocated to Des Moines, Iowa to be near their daughter Alice, her husband David, and their twins Eva and Milo. Frank dearly loved his entire family and his grandchildren were the joy of his life. Frank and Joyce continued their love of travel throughout Europe, Mexico, Hawaii, the Caribbean, and the U.S. Frank often considered he was fortunate to have been married to Joyce as she was his duet partner, colleague, travel agent and support throughout their life together for almost 48 years.

 Frank leaves behind his wife, Joyce, his daughter Alice (Fuglsang) and son-in-law David Fuglsang and their children Eva and Milo of Urbandale; his brother Malcolm, sister-in-law Joyce, and sons Jason and Christian with their families in Connecticut. Frank was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Mildred Hoffmeister. 

Memorials may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research and the American Parkinson Disease Association. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.