Donald Pippin Dies: Tony- & Emmy-Award-Winning Conductor & Musical Director Was 95

deadline.com:

Donald Pippin, a celebrated and prolific musical director for Broadway and New York’s Radio City Music Hall and the last living recipient of the long-discontinued Tony Award for Best Conductor and Musical Director – which he won for 1963’s Oliver! – died June 9 at the age of 95.His death was confirmed by friends on Facebook, including Broadway director and choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge, who wrote, “I met Don when I was the choreographer on The Music Man @ NY City Opera in 1988.

He was our Maestro and he was a generous gentleman in the theatre, taking me under his wing with such mastery and kindness…Journey On, dear Don, in beautiful music.”An arranger and songwriter as well as conductor and musical director, Pippin, born in Macon, Georgia, and a longtime resident of Brewster, New York, began his Broadway career by composing dance music for 1955’s Ankles Aweigh starring sisters Betty and Jane Kean.

In 1960 Pippin was the assistant conductor of Irma La Douce, and in ’63 earned his first Broadway credit as musical director for Oliver!, winning the Tony for Best Conductor and Musical Director. (The category was discontinued the following year after Shepard Coleman won for Hello, Dolly!; Pippin is believed to have been the last surviving recipient of the award.)Other Broadway musical director credits include 110 In The Shade (1963), Foxy (1964), Ben Franklin in Paris (1964), Mame (1966), Dear World (1969), Applause (1970), Seesaw (1973), Mack & Mabel (1974), A Chorus Line (1975), A Broadway Musical (1978), Woman of the Year (1981), La Cage aux Folles (1983), Jerry’s Girls (1985) and The Red Shoes (1993).