Andrew Lippa Biography

Andrew Lippa is currently penning the music and lyrics for a new musical based on Jules Feiffer's THE MAN IN THE CEILING (Mr. Feiffer is writing the book) which is being produced by Disney Theatrical for Broadway. Mr. Lippa wrote the music for the world premiere of Aaron Sorkin's (The West Wing, A Few Good Men) new play The Farnsworth Invention directed by Des McAnuff and presented by the La Jolla Playhouse. ASPHALT BEACH (music and lyrics) was premiered at Northwestern University by the American Music Theatre Project in October, 2006. THE WILD PARTY (book/music/lyrics) was given its world premiere in 2000 at the Manhattan Theater Club in New York City. The Wild Party won the Outer Critics Circle Award for best Off-Broadway musical of the season and Mr. Lippa won the 2000 Drama Desk Award for best music. 2004 saw the premiere of Mr. Lippa's A LITTLE PRINCESS (book and lyrics by Brian Crawley) at TheatreWorks in Palo Alto, CA. In 1999 Mr. Lippa contributed three new songs to the Broadway version of YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN (including "My New Philosophy" for Tony-Award Winner Kristin Chenoweth) and created all new arrangements. He wrote the music and co-wrote the book (with Tom Greenwald) for john & jen, which played in New York City in 1995 at The Lamb's Theater.

Mr. Lippa's recordings include Julia Murney's new CD I'm Not Waiting (producer, 3 songs), THE WILD PARTY (RCA Victor) which he also produced, YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN (RCA Victor) which earned him a Grammy Award nomination, and john & jen (Fynsworth Alley) which he associate produced. Jazz phenom Peter Cincotti recorded Mr. Lippa's "Raise The Roof" on his CD titled On The Moon (Phil Ramone, producer). In addition, Lippa produced the original cast recording of BAT BOY for RCA Victor and his singing voice can be heard on The Sondheim Album on Fynsworth Alley and If I Sing on PS Classics. Vocal selections from The Wild Party and john & jen are published by Hal Leonard and licensed by MTI.

Mr. Lippa has been music director for Kristin Chenoweth since 1999. He conducted/played her sold-out concert at the Metropolitan Opera House in NYC in January, 2007, and at the Donmar Warehouse in London in 2002, and Carnegie Hall in 2004 among others. In 2005 he conducted the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra for Ms. Chenoweth. Additionally, he is an accomplished singer having been heard in many venues in New York and, in 2005, as a guest artist at the Adelaide Cabaret Convention in Adelaide, Australia.

Memberships include ASCAP, The Dramatists Guild, Actor's Equity, and the AF of M.

A graduate of the University of Michigan, Mr. Lippa is the resident artist at the Ars Nova Theater in New York City and the High Holiday cantor at Congregation Beth Tikvah in Richmond, British Columbia.