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Robert Cooper, C.M. (Canada)
One of Canada's leading choral conductors, Robert Cooper began his career under the tutelage of Helmuth Rilling and Robert Shaw. He is currently the Artistic Director of the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, Chorus Niagara, the Opera in Concert Chorus, and is a teaching member of the Choral Department, Faculty of Music, University of Toronto. As a superb choral trainer and conductor, Mr Cooper also provided strong artistic leadership to the Toronto Mendelssohn Youth Choir for 22 successful years, influencing over 2000 young adult singers. Many of those singers have gone on to solo careers, while others are adding their own voices to various choirs across Canada. Mr. Cooper is a frequent guest of Canadian opera companies and has conducted Rossini's Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Bizet's Les Pêcheurs de Perles for Manitoba Opera, La Cenerentola for Ottawa's Opera Lyra and Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro for Pacific Opera Victoria where he also conducted Les Pêcheurs de Perles. He conducted Orchestra London's concert performance of L'Elisir d'Amore, led gala opera evenings for Symphony Nova Scotia and the Winnipeg Symphony, and was guest conductor at Festival 500 in St. John's Newfoundland. Hailed for the musical values he brought to Toronto Operetta Theatre's production of The Student Prince, Mr. Cooper was invited back for Das Land des Lächelns. In St. Catharines and Welland, Ontario, he was on the podium for performances of Mikado and Pirates of Penzance. Mr. Cooper has been involved in the presentation of more than 100 operas, receiving particular acclaim for conducting Opera in Concert's orchestral performances of Gluck's Iphigenie en Tauride, Weber's Der Freischutz, Donizetti's La Favorita, Thomas' Hamlet, Massenet's Cendrillon and Le Cid, Saint Saëns' Samson et Dalila, Bellini's La Sonnambula, and Thomas' Mignon celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Opera in Concert, a performance which was broadcast on CBC Radio Two. Mr. Cooper's choirs have performed in prestigious festivals including the Guelph Spring Festival and the International Choral Festival (Toronto premiere of Paul Winter's Missa Gaia). They have performed as guests of Opera Lyra, Toronto Operetta Theatre, the Toronto, Montréal and Kitchener Waterloo Symphonies, Mainly Mozart Orchestra and Stratford Festival. Highlighting many of these performances have been the premieres of new Canadian works by Glick, Hatzis, Holman, Bevan, Bussiere, Applebaum, Carriere, Laing, Henderson, Raminsh and Weinzweig, the latter of which was presented in association with Rhombus Media. In addition to commissioning works from Canadian composers, Mr. Cooper conducted the Canadian premiere of The Company of Heaven by Britten for the International Choral Festival. He enjoys a distinguished career as a guest conductor and clinician working with many of Canada's leading choral organizations and provincial choral federations. He has had the honour of conducting the National Youth Choir of Canada, made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1997 for a Celebration of Canadian Choral Music, made a critically acclaimed Edmonton Symphony debut conducting Messiah and made his debut with the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir conducting Bach's Mass in B Minor. Mr Cooper has been acknowledged for his innovative programming and has organized frequent collaborations with Chorus Niagara, Orpheus Choir, Cellar Singers and Mississauga Choral Society for major performances of the Requiems of Berlioz, Dvorak and Verdi, Mozart C Minor Mass (Levin reconstruction), premieres of works by Hatzis, Jenkins, Bevan, Holman, Tiefenbach, along with frequent performances of the major works of Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms and more. Mr. Cooper has also been a frequent adjudicator for the international choral competition Let the Peoples Sing. He has recorded CD's of both opera and choral music and provided choral backup for films and Stratford Festival productions. This year will see Mr Cooper conducting once again at Festival 500, St. John's Newfoundland, Festival of the Sound, Parry Sound as well as the 2007 Ontario Youth Choir. Robert Cooper has served as President of both the Ontario Choral Federation and the Association of Canadian Choral Conductors and is on the Board of Directors of Chorus America. To complete the circle, Mr. Cooper brings fine choral music and opera to all of Canada as Executive Producer, Opera and Choral Music, for CBC Radio Two. In June 2003 Robert Cooper received an Honorary Doctorate degree from Brock University for his significant contribution to the Canadian choral community, and was appointed to the Order of Canada in October 2003. [ top ] © Festival 500 Designed by AppleCore Interactive |
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