Joan Lippincott Biography
Joan Lippincott (born December 25, 1935) is an American concert organist and former head of the organ department at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. She was born Joan Edna Hult on December 25, 1935, the daughter of Edna and Frank Hult, in Kearny, New Jersey. Her early keyboard studies were with William Jancovius of Nutley, New Jersey. After attending Kearny High School, she entered Westminster Choir College, where she studied with the renowned Alexander McCurdy. Upon graduation from Westminster Choir College, she gained entrance to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where she was again the student of Alexander McCurdy as well as Vladimir Sokoloff. Following her Diploma from the Curtis Institute, she returned to Westminster Choir College to earn her master's degree. At the same time, she was hired by McCurdy to join the keyboard faculty at Westminster, starting what would become her 37-year tenure. On June 18, 1960, she married Curtis Lippincott in Bristol Chapel on the campus of Westminster Choir College. At the age of 31 in 1967, she became the head of the Organ Department at Westminster Choir College, the largest organ department in the world at the time, where she would teach hundreds of student organists over the years. In 1993 she accepted a position as the Principal Organist at Princeton University Chapel, with its freshly rebuilt instrument, while retaining her position at Westminster. Soon after, she realized that the demands of the Princeton position made it impossible for her to remain the Head of the Westminster Organ Department. From 1993 until 2000, she served as an organist for Princeton University, playing services and accompanying Penna Rose's Chapel Choir as well as presenting frequent organ recitals in the Chapel. In 2000, Ms. Lippincott retired from the position as Princeton Organist to pursue her recital career. Westminster awarded her an honorary doctorate in 2001, and in 2017 she received the annual Distinguished...
