Arthur Lipner is a world-recognized jazz and keyboard percussionist and composer, performer and educator, teaching piano and percussion globally for over 30 years. Arthur has studied composition at Juilliard, and jazz studies/percussion at University of North Texas and University of Delaware. His private teaching focuses on supporting children ages 6 and older to expand their love of music, understand the fundamentals of music, and develop performance and composing capability that nourishes them throughout their lives.
From teaching beginning to advanced piano, composition, jazz, mallets and Caribbean music through his Wilton Steel Band, Arthur is passionate about teaching music that enriches growth, creativity and confidence and has taught more than thousands of students around the world. He maintains an active teaching schedule in Fairfield County, CT locally while also regularly presenting concerts and workshops around the world.
Early Education
In his youth, Arthur studied classical then jazz piano. After declining a full High School scholarship in classical piano to NYC’s prestigious Mannes School, he focused his energies on vibraphone and later marimba. Arthur began playing piano and percussion professionally at age 14. Now, some 50 albums and over 75 international tours later, he continues to participate in exciting new performances and projects. Throughout, Arthur has continued to teach in his community. The breadth of his career brings expertise in a variety of areas, all of which he gladly shares with students of all ages and levels. Arthur’s mac is an important tool for music learning, facilitating note-reading and strengthening the association between sound with melodic shape on the page. Arthur believes in exposing all students to composition so that they may share their inner creative voice. Even 6 year-olds can write music and love doing it! Starting in Spring ’19, Arthur’s students will be taught composition and encouraged to compose and perform original music at their recitals and for their schools and other volunteer activities and groups.
Arthur grew up in Weston, CT. His mother Judith Levine Lipner attended Yale Music School. She was a lyric soprano who performed many concerts in the tri-state area, most famously with Leonard Bernstein in Carnegie Hall. His uncle was a physician and active musician in the Middletown/Hartford area. After studies at the Univ. of Delaware and the Univ of North Texas Arthur moved to NYC and began his career. He later studied composition and orchestration at Juilliard. Arthur settled in Wilton in 2001. Both his children attended Wilton schools from elementary through High School.
Arthur has performed at an extraordinary mix of venues and engagements around the world, including: The Royal Palace (Morocco), with the National Symphony of Brazil (his co-written concerto “Mallet Fantasia”), on an ice xylophone in Norway, with Russian tuvan throat singers “Alash”, in a small village in Ghana, on the streets of Rio during Carnival, in Reyjkavik and Istanbul recording studios, and much more. In Spring ‘18 he presented concerts and workshops in England, Scotland and Belgium. In August ’18 he toured in Australia for the second time. Invited to adjudicate the first-ever Vibraphone Competition in Melbourne, he also performed and presented workshops in Brisbane, Sydney and Canberra.
A published author, Arthur has written three method books about percussion technique and improvisation. Among these, his “Vibes Real Book” has become a standard text in many percussion programs around the world. Arthur’s compositions and arrangements are performed regularly in many countries and have been featured on well-known advertisements for United Airlines, AT&T, and others. Licensing in 2018 brought his music to Japan, Switzerland, Finland and numerous other countries. In the recording world, Arthur has been a top NYC studio session player since the mid- 1990’s. On vibes, marimba and steel drums he’s done over 100 freelance sessions for all kinds of projects. In 2017 he recorded nine solo albums for the NYC-based label Solo Sounds. These include Paul Simon’s “Graceland” and Bob Marley’s “Legend” (marimba), Van Morrison’s “Moondance” (vibes), “West Side Story” (vibes & marimba), and a Drake collection (steel pans).
Arthur has also released 9 solo album projects. The double album “Two Hands, One Heart” (2015) is a hand-picked collection of his favorite recorded tracks from albums spanning 1990-2015. “Brasilian Vibes”, recorded in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo and NYC was nominated “Best CD of 2010” by the Brazilian Press Awards. His next album will be music he recorded with local musicians in Iceland, Turkey and Brazil.
The documentary Talking Sticks (2016) tells of Arthur’s inner and outer journeys seeking a cultural connection while exploring the role of his instruments, and creativity, in six countries. For more info, visit www.talkingsticksfilm.com. (One reviewer at popcultureclassics.com called it a “Marvelous musical journey.” “Beautiful music, scenery, stories and insights” said the Wilmington Int’l FilmFest)
For more information and to contact Arthur, email arthurlipnermusic@gmail.com or call 203.918.2916.
For testimonials and endorsements, visit Testimonials and www.arthurlipner.com.