Joel Stoppenhagen is a native of rural Ossian, Indiana, and began studying the organ at the age of 11. Since then, he has pursued excellence in both repertoire and service playing. Recognized as an emerging figure in the field of organ music, he was named to The Diapason‘s prestigious “20 Under 30” Class of 2023. He is also the recipient of the Ronald G. Reidenbach Prize in Church Music from Valparaiso University and the Margot Fassler Academic Achievement Award from Sacred Music at Notre Dame.

In 2026, Joel earned the Master of Sacred Music degree from the University of Notre Dame, where he studied organ with Dr. Kola Owolabi. He graduated summa cum laude from Valparaiso University in 2024 with a Bachelor of Music Education degree, having studied organ with Dr. Stephen Schnurr. During his final undergraduate term, he studied at Westfield House, the Lutheran House of Theological Studies in Cambridge, England, where he continued his organ studies with Benjamin Sheen of Jesus College. In 2025, he attended the Smarano International Organ Academy in Italy, studying historic Italian and German keyboard music with leading specialists in historical performance practice.

Joel’s academic and musical interests center on Lutheran church music of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. As an undergraduate, he conducted research on the life and works of Philip K. Gehring, leading to the rediscovery of a transcription of a Jean Langlais improvisation on Of the Father’s Love Begotten. The transcription was subsequently published in CrossAccent, the journal of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. His additional publications include sheet music reviews for The Diapason, a score preface for Musikproduktion Höflich, and original compositions published in collections by Augsburg Fortress and Concordia Publishing House.

An advocate for music education, Joel has presented at Lutheran church music conferences on topics related to youth engagement in traditional liturgical music. He serves on the faculty of the Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival and remains active as a performer, teacher, and church musician.