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 a recipient of the Ronald G. Reidenbach Prize in Church Music from Valparaiso University.

Joel is currently pursuing a Master of Sacred Music degree at the University of Notre Dame, where he studies organ with Dr. Kola Owolabi. He holds a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Valparaiso University, graduating summa cum laude in 2024. While at Valparaiso, he studied organ with Dr. Stephen Schnurr and held leadership roles in the university’s chapter of the American Guild of Organists. His final undergraduate term was completed at Westfield House, the Lutheran House of Theological Studies in Cambridge, UK, where he continued his organ studies under Benjamin Sheen of Jesus College. In 2025, he was privileged to attend the Smarano International Organ Academy in Italy, where he studied historic Italian and German keyboard music with leading experts in historic performance practice.

Joel’s academic and musical interests center on Lutheran church music of the 17th and 18th centuries. As an undergraduate, he conducted research on the life and works of the late Philip K. Gehring, which led to the discovery of a transcription of a Jean Langlais improvisation on Of the Father’s Love Begotten. This 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 also serves on the faculty of the Lutheran Summer Music Academy and Festival.