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| Grant Cooper |
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Grant Cooper, Artistic Director & Conductor
Grant Cooper, Artistic Director and Conductor of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, was named to the position in March, 2001,and officially began his duties as the 9th conductor in the WVSO’s history on July 1, 2001. Mr. Cooper is also Resident Conductor of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, having begun his tenure in Syracuse in the fall of 1997. In Syracuse, he has given more than 400 performances with the orchestra, appearing on all the major series. Mr. Cooper served as Music Director of the Fredonia Chamber Players from 1983 to 1999 and held the same position with the Penfield Symphony Orchestra from 1993 until 1999. He is Artistic Director of two summer festivals; the Bach and Beyond Festival and the Anchorage Festival of Music in Alaska.
Mr. Cooper was born in Wellington, New Zealand, the son of a professional opera singer. He sang and acted in his first opera at age four, and studied piano and music theory prior to college. After completing his degree in Pure Mathematics at the University of Auckland, his performing career took him to the major concert halls of the world from Beijing to London. Following a performance at the Henry A. Wood Promenade Concerts at the Royal Albert Hall under conductor Claudio Abbado, Mr. Cooper was invited by Maestro Abbado to join the orchestra of La Scala as solo trumpet. Instead, Mr. Cooper accepted a fellowship from the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council for study with Gerard Schwarz in the United States. This, in turn, led to performances in New York's Carnegie Hall and with the Boston Pops under Arthur Fiedler. In 1978, while holding a fellowship at Tanglewood, Mr. Cooper performed as principal trumpet under conductors Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, and Sir Neville Marriner, among others. He was the principal trumpet of the Tulsa Philharmonic Orchestra before devoting himself to conducting.
Mr. Cooper was guest conductor of the XIVth Commonwealth Games closing ceremonies, appearing with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa as soloist. In Europe, his engagement as guest conductor for the Mozart Wochen of the Heidelberger Schlossfestspiele prompted high critical praise. His appearances with the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra have generated considerable enthusiasm and acclaim across the whole gamut of programs, showing his deep affinity for repertoire of enormous stylistic range. Mr. Cooper has twice received conducting fellowships from the Fund for the Arts in Chautauqua County.
In past seasons, Mr. Cooper has appeared regularly as guest conductor of the Philharmonic Orchestras of Buffalo and Rochester as well as the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra. He has conducted Benjamin Britten’s Noye’s Fludde at the Skaneateles Festival and returned to open their summer season in August, 2000. In recent years he has made his debuts with the Spokane Symphony, the Erie Philharmonic, and with the Kansas City Symphony, and he returned to New Zealand to conduct the millennium celebrations there with the Auckland Philharmonia. In recent seasons he has made his debut appearance with Syracuse Opera, conducting Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, as well as with the Stamford (CT) Symphony Orchestra. This year, he will return as guest conductor to Ottawa’s Thirteen Strings for a sixth consecutive season. Long devoted to education of audiences of all ages and backgrounds, he has recently completed more than twenty one years as professor of music and director of orchestras at the university level in the United States.
A commissioned composer, Mr. Cooper has been especially active creating works designed to introduce young audiences to the orchestra. His most recent work, commissioned by the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, is a setting of the tale of Rumpelstiltzkin for narrator and orchestra, and is a companion piece to his earlier Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Rumpelstiltzkin was the featured work on last season’s Young Persons Concerts given in May, 2003 by the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Boyz in the Wood, for Coloratura Soprano and Rap Singer will be performed by the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra in their Symphony Kids series in the current season as well as with the WVSO in November and January, while Song of the Wolf, a recasting of the story of The Three Little Pigs with the wolf as an environmentalist, continues to delight audiences young and old wherever it is performed. His original music often is an eclectic blend of modern and established styles with interactive participation of the audience. It reflects his belief that orchestral music is a living, vital, and relevant part of our society, able to be appreciated by all. Mr. Cooper’s first arrangement for the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Take Me Home, Country Roads, was premiered at Symphony Sunday in June, 2002 and has found a permanent place in the orchestra’s repertoire.
Mr. Cooper has recorded for Delos International, Atoll, Ode, Mark, and Kiwi Pacific recordings. As a conductor, a CD devoted to the premier recordings of the string music of New Zealand composer Douglas Lilburn, has been enthusiastically received. In recent seasons, Mr. Cooper has released “Points in a Changing Circle,” featuring him as trumpet soloist in works by New Zealand composers and a CD featuring three of his own works recorded with the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra on a disc titled Boyz in the Wood. With this, Mr. Cooper has reached the milestone of having CD recordings of him as conductor, performer, and composer, all currently available in the catalogue.
Mr. Cooper resides in Charleston with his wife, Margie, and daughters, Jessica and Rachel.
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