Joseph “Joey” Ripka is appointed canon musician designate for St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and will work with canon musician Scott Raab until the latter’s retirement on October 1, 2022, whereupon Ripka will become canon musician.
Ripka leaves Phoenix, Arizona, where he was director of music at All Saints’ Episcopal Church and Day School. At All Saints’ Church he led the adult choir, chamber choir, and Royal School of Church Music Choir. He founded the All Saints’ Church chorister program in 2017 and is also director of the All Saints’ Day School chorister program. The All Saints’ choirs sing for services, evensongs, lessons and carols, and special presentations of choral masterworks with orchestra, and tour nationally and abroad on a regular basis. He is the former organist and choirmaster at Calvary Episcopal Church, Stonington, Connecticut, and artistic director of Calvary Music School. At Calvary, he directed an active music program, including adult and children’s choirs and a music school with over 100 students and a faculty of fourteen. Ripka was the first-prize winner of the Dublin International Organ Competition, the Fort Wayne National Organ Playing Competition, and the San Marino/Elizabeth Elftman National Organ Competition.
Ripka has presented recitals throughout the United States and has performed with the New World Symphony, the Boston Philharmonic, and the Boston Symphony Orchestra under conductors Michael Tilson Thomas, Benjamin Zander, and Alan Gilbert. His recitals have been aired on American Public Media’s Pipedreams several times, and he was invited by Michael Barone to be the featured artist for the 25th anniversary celebration of Pipedreams in 2008 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During the summer of 2009, Ripka made his European concert debut with recitals at St. Sulpice in Paris, Bavo Kerk in Haarlem, Oude Kerk in Amsterdam, and Hooglandse Kerk in Leiden, Netherlands. He has since played recitals at Westminster Cathedral in London, St. Michael’s Church in Dun Laoghaire, St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, St. Columb’s Cathedral in Derry, Noorderkerk in Amsterdam, and elsewhere. Ripka’s YouTube videos have received hundreds of thousands of views and have earned rave comments from around the world.
Ripka holds bachelor’s degrees in organ and piano performance from St. Cloud State University, master’s degrees in organ and piano performance from the University of Kansas, an Artist Diploma in organ performance from Oberlin College, and a master’s degree in organ performance from Yale University.
For information: stpaulsokc.org and josephripkaorganist.com.
Other recent appointments:
Kevin Neel to All Saints Episcopal, Worcester, MA
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