Donald Pippin, Broadway Music Director, Conductor & Songwriter Passes Away at 95

Broadway music director, conductor, arranger, and songwriter Donald Pippin has passed away at 95. Pippin's work included his notable collaborations with Jerry Herman, including Mame and La Cage aux Folles. Pippin was the last living recipient of the no-longer-awarded Tony Award for Best Conductor and Musical Director, which we won for Oliver! at the 17th Annual Tony Awards. In 1986 he was awarded a Drama Desk Special Award.

Pippin's first Broadway credit was in 1955, when he provided extra dance music for the musical Ankles Aweigh. Pippin was assistant conductor for the 1960 hit Irma la Douce, which ran for 524 performances.

In 1963, Pippin, in addition to his work on Oliver! was Musical Director for 110 in the Shade.

Pippin and Herman were reunited in 1979, when they both worked on The Grand Tour. Pippin was also Music Director for Woman of the Year (1981), starring Lauren Bacall, which played for 770 performances.

Later Broadway productions include Teddy & Alice (1987), Catskills on Broadway (1991), The Red Shoes (1993), Dream (1997), and the 2006 revival of A Chorus Line.

In March 2009, Pippin conducted the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center in "Jerry Herman's Broadway," a tribute to his longtime collaborator.