Our hearts are heavy with the passing of Lillian Livingston on Sunday, August 4, 2024. Born Lillan Grace Malouf in Vienna, Austria on November 1, 1935, to Edith Malouf (nee Schüller) and Stephen David Malouf.

From a young age Lillian demonstrated great skill at the piano. At the age of four, she was featured on the radio as a prodigy. Playing and teaching piano would become her life’s work. Her first teacher was her grandmother, Cecilia Schüller, who moved to Peru, Indiana in 1938 to live with her family.

Lillian’s mother was a retired opera singer from the Vienna State Opera and her father became the town physician in Peru. Lillian not only emulated her mother’s sense of hospitality and love for cooking but inherited her family’s skills in music.

Those skills would enable her to study at Indiana University and Roosevelt University in Chicago. Her primary teachers were Ozan Marsh, Patricia Benkman, Mollie Margolis and Rudolf Ganz.

Lillian performed under the direction of Frank St. Ledger, Metropolitan Opera Coach, and performed numerous concerts for radio, television and festival orchestras including the Atheneum Orchestra under Constantine Borschoff and the Indianapolis Symphonette under George Curtis.

Lillian met Julian Livingston at Indiana University. They would marry August 8, 1959, and settle in Englishtown, New Jersey. Lillian and Julian were a dynamic musical couple in the community. Lillian would frequently assist Julian with his composing by playing his music so he could hear it. A skilled sight-reader at the piano, Lillian was Julian’s rehearsal pianist for a variety of musical collaborations and accompanied the Elysium Chorale for many years.

One of Lillian’s most beloved collaborators and friends was pianist Ingrid Clarfield. Ingrid and Lillian would give their first duo-piano concert in 1976 at the Red Bank Theatre, New Jersey. Performances with Ingrid include the following: a “Celebration of Piano and Voice” on the Westminster Performs! series (1999); “A Night of Music for Two Pianos” at the Battleground Arts Center (2000); “Dance Music from Around the World” sponsored by the Steinway Society of Princeton. Their dynamic duo-piano musical collaborations lasted 25 years; their friendship lasted a lifetime.

In 1987 Lillian began a second career teaching at Westminster Choir College (WCC) in Princeton, NJ. As an Adjunct Associate Professor of Piano, she taught in the piano department from 1987-2016. In June 2018, she retired from private studio teaching at the age of 83 years.

Throughout her career, Lillian presented for, performed at, and participated in a number of musical organizations. She served as president of the New Jersey Music Teachers Association (NJMTA), a branch of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), from 1984-1988 and 2007-2009.

In 2003 she presented “Motivating the Adult Student: We Shall Overcome” at the MTNA National Conference. Lillian would go on to champion adult learners and encourage piano studies for all ages. At Westminster Choir College she coordinated and ran the Professional Development Certificate Program. For a number of years, she coordinated and played alongside her students in Brookdale Community Colleges’ Monster Concerts (2004-2014).

For her decades of teaching, Lillian was honored with numerous awards. One particular award stated, “We are pleased to honor our esteemed colleague, Lillian Livingston for your outstanding musical achievements and important contributions to music education in the state of New Jersey. Your influence has extended to several generations of aspiring musicians, enriching all who have been privileged to know you. We commend your efforts as a private piano teacher, a leader within many musical organizations, a college educator and especially as a Duo-pianist. Throughout your career you have been a champion of the two-piano literature, both as performing artist and as a distinguished teacher. We honor you not only for your professional merits, but also for your idealism, your warmth, generosity, and beauty of spirit.”

Her awards include but are not limited to the following: The Arts Foundation of New Jersey: Joan Bettenbender Faculty Award for Excellence (1992); Cecilian Music Club: Laura R. Conover Pedagogy Award for Outstanding Teacher (1998/1999/2001) and Distinguished Pedagogy Award for Outstanding Teaching (2001/2002); The Piano Teachers Society of America: Madame Genia Robinor Pedagogy Award of Excellence (1990/1991/1992/1993/1994/1997); MTNA Foundation: Foundation Fellow for Distinguished Service to the Music Teaching Profession (2009); and NJMTA: Teacher of the Year Award (2013).

Lillian met her second love, Phil Finley in 1988. She embraced his daughters (Carol and Tricia), son (Mark) and their spouses (Diana Magos and Bill Rizzo). Lillian and Phil spent many hours attending concerts and enjoying the company of friends. Phil was a jazz aficionado who introduced Lillian to many performances by jazz artists.

Lillian is survived by daughters Susan and husband, Peter Washabaugh; Diana and husband Geoffrey Friedley. Grandchildren left behind are Pearce Washabaugh and wife Maša Aleckovic; Alec and wife Anna (Buzolits) Washabaugh; and Grace Friedley.

Also left behind are great grandchildren Mila and Luka Washabaugh and Winnie and Arthur Washabaugh.

Lillian is survived by her sister, Evelyn Binz, niece Victoria Whaley and son Brandon Whaley.

A service celebrating the life of Lillian Grace (Malouf) Livingston will be held at 1:00PM Thursday, August 15th, 2024 at the Eikenberry-Eddy Funeral Home, 84 W Main St., in Peru, with Reverend Adam Mauman officiating. Burial will be in the Mt. Hope Cemetery, Peru, IN. Family and friends will gather from 11:00AM-1:00PM Thursday at the Eikenberry-Eddy Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers the family invites contributing to funding an endowment with the MTNA Foundation in Lillian’s name. Please indicate that your contribution is in memory of Lillian Livingston. For online access: https://mtnafoundation.org/contribute/contribute-now/

Checks may also be sent to: MTNA Foundation Fund, 600 Vine St., Ste. 1710, Cincinnati, OH 45202 (please indicate Lillian Livingston in memo line of the check).