Imogen Cooper

Last updated

Dame Imogen Cooper, DBE (born 28 August 1949) is an English pianist.

Contents

Biography

Cooper was born in North London, daughter of the musicologist Martin du Pré Cooper and artist Mary Stewart. She grew up surrounded by music through her parents and her older siblings: Felicity, Josephine and Dominic Cooper. Realising that Imogen had an exceptional musical talent her parents sent her at the age of 12 to Paris to study for six years at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique (CNSM) with Jacques Février, Yvonne Lefébure and Germaine Mounier. This was considered a provocative move by the music establishment, and there was a lengthy correspondence in The Times between Thomas Armstrong, Principal of the Royal Academy of Music in London, and Martin Cooper, arguing the pros and cons of taking a gifted child out of conventional education to specialise so early, and in a foreign country.

In 1967 at the age of 17, the CNSM awarded her a Premier Prix de Piano, a major distinction. Cooper was mentored in her late teens by Arthur Rubinstein and Clifford Curzon, and subsequently studied in Vienna with Alfred Brendel, Paul Badura-Skoda and Jörg Demus, particularly in her early twenties by Brendel, an experience that has resonated with her throughout her performing life. Apart from spending her teenage years in Paris, London has been Cooper's principal residence.

She is particularly known for her interpretations of Schubert and Schumann, but she has also been involved in modern music, giving the premières of works such as Traced Overhead by Thomas Adès. As well as performing as soloist she participates in chamber music and lieder, and has had a long-standing partnership with baritone Wolfgang Holzmair.

She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2007 New Year Honours [1] and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to music. [2] She was awarded the Queen's Medal for Music in 2019. [3]

Discography

Honours and awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Brendel</span> Austrian composer and pianist (born 1931)

Alfred Brendel is an Austrian classical pianist, poet, author, composer, and lecturer who is noted for his performances of Mozart, Schubert and Beethoven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ethel Smyth</span> English composer and suffragette (1858–1944)

Dame Ethel Mary Smyth was an English composer and a member of the women's suffrage movement. Her compositions include songs, works for piano, chamber music, orchestral works, choral works and operas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Myra Hess</span> British pianist

Dame Julia Myra Hess, was an English pianist best known for her performances of the works of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, and Brahms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet Baker</span> English mezzo-soprano

Dame Janet Abbott Baker is an English mezzo-soprano best known as an opera, concert, and lieder singer.

Dame Mitsuko Uchida, DBE is a Japanese-British classical pianist and conductor. Born in Japan and naturalised in Britain, she is particularly notable for her interpretations of Mozart and Schubert.

Dame Felicity Ann Emwhyla Lott, is an English soprano.

Dame Felicity Joan Palmer,, is an English mezzo-soprano and music professor. She sang soprano roles until 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moura Lympany</span> English concert pianist

Dame Moura Lympany DBE was an English concert pianist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Hammond</span> Australian operatic soprano, singing coach and champion golfer

Dame Joan Hilda Hood Hammond, was an Australian operatic soprano, singing coach and champion golfer.

Dame Gillian Constance Weir is a New Zealand-British organist.

Dame Jane Alison Glover is a British conductor and musicologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Murray</span> Irish mezzo-soprano

Ann Murray, is an Irish mezzo-soprano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Price</span> Welsh operatic soprano

Dame Margaret Berenice Price was a Welsh soprano.

Susan Gritton is an English operatic soprano. She was the 1994 winner of the Kathleen Ferrier Award and has sung leading roles in a wide-ranging repertoire from Handel and Mozart to Britten, Janáček and Strauss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Connolly</span> English mezzo-soprano

Dame Sarah Patricia Connolly is an English mezzo-soprano. Although best known for her baroque and classical roles, Connolly has a wide-ranging repertoire which has included works by Wagner as well as various 20th-century composers. She was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours and a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to music.

Wolfgang Holzmair is an Austrian baritone.

Dame Susan Catherine Campbell, Baroness Campbell of Loughborough, is a British sports administrator who was chairman of UK Sport between 2003 and 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Coote</span> British mezzo-soprano

Alice Coote OBE is a British mezzo-soprano. Known internationally for her performances in opera playing both female and male roles, and her recitals with piano and concerts with orchestra, Coote has performed extensively across Europe, North America and Asia. Her repertoire ranges from early and baroque music to contemporary works, and includes works which have been especially written for her. She was appointed OBE in the 2018 Birthday honours for services to music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Etsuko Hirose</span> Japanese classical pianist

Etsuko Hirose is a Japanese classical pianist.

Joseph Middleton is a British classical pianist and lied accompanist.

References

  1. "Honours for Stewart and Glennie". BBC News. 30 December 2006. Retrieved 15 May 2008., para. 12.
  2. "No. 63377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2021. p. B8.
  3. "The Queen's Medal for Music 2019". Classical Music. 28 August 2020.
  4. "Previous honorary graduates | Honorary graduates | University of Exeter". www.exeter.ac.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  5. "Instrumentalist: Past Winners". royalphilharmonicsociety.org.uk. Royal Philharmonic Society. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  6. "Queen's Birthday Honours: 2021 - GOV.UK". gov.uk. Retrieved 26 October 2023.