He attended San Francisco State University to study piano with Lev Shorr, Alexander Libermann and Rosina Lhévinne, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in 1956.
[1] For graduate school he attended the University of California, Berkeley, receiving a Master of the Arts in 1958.
[1] He became music critic for the Commentary magazine in 1975/6, around the time in which he transition from a pianist-based career, towards one on scholarship.
[1] Reviewer Andrew Stiller noted in 1992 that Lipman is considered "the representative conservative voice among American music critics".
[5] In Grove Music Online, Patrick J. Smith remarks that "Lipman's critical writings are uncompromisingly rigorous, demanding of composer, performer and management alike the highest standard of artistic excellence.