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Hannah Voigt, 87, of Oak Park, died at home on March 7, 2025, surrounded by family. She earned her B.S. in Music Education at SUNY Potsdam, and her M.M. in Piano and Music Literature from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester. While in graduate school, she did summer study in Fontainebleau, France with Nadia Boulanger and Jean and Robert Casadesus.
Upon graduating from Eastman, she taught in the school’s preparatory department. In the summer of 1962, while playing cocktail piano at the Aspen Music Festival, she met graphic designer Harry Voigt. They married in 1963 and settled in Oak Park.
That year, she joined the Chicago Symphony Chorus as a soprano, and was tapped by famed conductor Margaret Hillis to teach sight-singing to her fellow choristers. She taught music in Oak Park public schools until the birth of her daughter, Laura, in 1964. By then, she had started her private piano teaching studio. They welcomed a son, Derek, in 1966.
In the 1970s, she and baritone Robert Smith inaugurated the Unity Temple Concert Series. During her many years in Oak Park, she accompanied community choirs and performed solo and collaborative recitals, including on WFMT with fellow pianist Barbara Ekholm. She was the organist at Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church for 50 years.
She influenced many, notably through her involvement in the Chicago Area Music Teachers Association (CAMTA). In 2021, she was named the CAMTA music teacher of the year. She gave presentations, mentored new piano instructors, and was chair of the annual Achievement in Music (AIM) program for so many years they lost count. Most of her students took the AIM exams, many saying it gave them confidence, discipline, and a deeper understanding of and love for music.
She will be remembered for her generous and loving heart, her intelligence, curiosity, optimism, sense of humor, tireless work ethic, fighting spirit, and ability to inspire others to be their best selves and enjoy life to the fullest.
A memorial service will be held for Hannah Voigt at 1 p.m. this Saturday, April 19 at Unity Temple, 875 Lake St. in Oak Park.
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