Ian Cooper (born 14 August 1970) is an Australian violinist. He was commissioned to compose and perform the "Tin Symphony" for the opening ceremony of the Games of the XXVII Olympiad in Sydney. The event was televised worldwide with an estimated 2.85 billion viewers. He performs many musical styles including Classical,

Gypsy The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sign ...

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

music and has appeared with

Tommy Emmanuel William Thomas Emmanuel (born 31 May 1955) is an Australian guitarist. Regarded as one of the greatest acoustic guitarists of all time, he is known for his complex fingerstyle technique, energetic performances and use of percussive effects on ...

, James Morrison,

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British-Australian singer, actress and activist. She was a four-time Grammy Award winner whose music career included 15 top-ten singles, including 5 number-one singles on the ...

Barry White Barry Eugene Carter (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003), better known by his stage name Barry White, was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came ...

Simon Tedeschi Simon Tedeschi (born 1 May 1981) is an Australian classical pianist and writer. Early life Tedeschi was born in Gosford to Mark Tedeschi QC, Senior Crown Prosecutor for New South Wales, and doctor Vivienne Tedeschi, the daughter of a Polis ...

Deni Hines Dohnyale "Deni" Sharon Hines (born 4 September 1970) is an Australian singer who has been releasing music since the early 1990s, with chart success in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Europe. She is the daughter of American-Australian singer M ...

, and

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Background

Cooper began learning the violin at age 4 from his mother Jan Cooper, a

Suzuki Violin The Suzuki method is a music curriculum and teaching philosophy dating from the mid-20th century, created by Japanese violinist and pedagogue Shinichi Suzuki (1898–1998). The method aims to create an environment for learning music which para ...

teacher. He performed the Seitz Violin Concerto No. 2 Allegro Moderato at age 6 on the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australia ...

's 11AM program with

Roger Climpson Roger Climpson (born 18 October 1932) is an English-born Australian retired media personality who served a lengthy career in both radio and television, as a journalist, announcer, newsreader and presenter. He is best known for his time at ''S ...

. At age 7, Cooper performed concerts in the US and Canada, representing Australia at the Suzuki Violin World Conference. At age 8, he was awarded a scholarship to the New South Wales Conservatorium of Music in Sydney where he studied with Christopher Kimber, Harry Curby, and Laslo Kiss. He was subsequently awarded a music scholarship to

Knox Grammar School , motto_translation = The Manly Thing Is Being Done , established = , founder = John Gilmore, William McIlrath, Robert Gillespie and Andrew Reid , type = Independent school, Independe ...

where he also studied drums and percussion. At age 10, a performance in Japan was broadcast on NHK Television. In 1990, Cooper was mentored by the French Jazz Violinist

Stéphane Grappelli Stéphane Grappelli (; 26 January 1908 – 1 December 1997, born Stefano Grappelli) was a French jazz violinist. He is best known as a founder of the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the fi ...

. After performing with the guitarist

at his invitation at the Sydney Opera House in 1992, Cooper joined Emmanuel on tour until 1997. Cooper has also been a member of trumpeter James Morrison's sextet since 2007.

Instruments

Cooper's main performing violin was made by E.H. Roth in Markneukirchen, Germany in 1926 and is modelled on an

Antonio Stradivari Antonio Stradivari (, also , ; – 18 December 1737) was an Italian luthier and a craftsman of string instruments such as violins, cellos, guitars, violas and harps. The Latinized form of his surname, '' Stradivarius'', as well as the collo ...

1714 Cremona instrument. His preferred violin for recording was made by Glanville & Co. in Sydney and is based on a Guarneri violin. His electric violins are Epoch, David Guscott and E.F. Keebler.

Discography

* 1993 – ''Soundpost'' – with Ike Isaacs, Peter Inglis & Tim Rollinson * 1994 – ''Strings of Swing'' – with

Don Burrows Donald Vernon Burrows (8 August 1928 – 12 March 2020) was an Australian jazz and swing musician who played clarinet, saxophone and flute. Life and career Donald Vernon Burrows was born on 8 August 1928, the only child of Vernon and Beryl and ...

, Tom Baker & Ian Date * 1994 – ''Royal Flush'' – with Bernard Berkhout and Ian Date * 1994 –

Marcia Hines Marcia Elaine Hines, AM (born July 20, 1953), is an American-Australian vocalist and TV personality. Hines made her debut, at the age of 16, in the Australian production of the stage musical '' Hair'' and followed with the role of Mary Magdale ...

- ''Right Here and Now'' * 1994 –

Max Sharam Leanna Maree "Max" Sharam (born 1969) is an Australian interdisciplinary musician and singer-songwriter. In the mid-1990s, Sharam had three top 40 hit singles in Australia, "Coma", "Be Firm" and "Lay Down", from her top 10 album '' ...

- ''Coma'' * 1994 –

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- ''Box'' * 1995 – ''Ian's World'' – with Tom Baker, Ian Date, Bernard Berkhout & John Morrison * 1995 –

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- ''Wide Open'' * 1995 – Tim Rogers & You Am I - ''Jewels & Bullets'' CD Single * 1995 – ''25th Breda Jazz Festival Official CD'' with

Fapy Lafertin Fapy Lafertin (born 20 November 1950) is a Belgian guitarist in the Belgian-Dutch gypsy jazz style. Lafertin was born in Kortrijk, Belgium in the Manouche Romani community and took up guitar at the age of five. After performing in a family band ...

& Ian Date * 1995 –

- ''

A Million Year Girl ''A Million Year Girl'' is the debut studio album by Australian singer Max Sharam. The album was released on 15 May 1995 and peaked at number 9 on the ARIA chart and was certified gold. At the ARIA Music Awards of 1995 the album was nominated for ...

'' * 1996 – Annie Crummer - ''Seventh Wave'' * 1996 –

- ''Freak Show'' * 1996 – ''At Home'' – with David Paquette * 1997 – ''Hard Axe to Follow'' – with

, Tommy Tycho,

George Golla George Golla (born 10 May 1935) is an Australian jazz guitarist. In 1959 he commenced a long-term working musical partnership with clarinetist/flautist/saxophonist Don Burrows that continued for almost 40 years. Biography Golla was born on 10 May ...

& Ian Date * 1997 – The Nissan Cedrics - ''Going for a Song'' * 1997 –

The Earthmen The Earthmen were an Australian indie pop- rock band formed in Melbourne, Victoria. They released two albums, ''Teen Sensations'' and ''Love Walked In'' during their career (1991–1999). ''Love Walked In'' was nominated for ARIA Award for Brea ...

- ''Love Walked In'' * 1997 – John Morrison - ''Swingin' Upstairs'' * 1999 –

- ''Poverty Deluxe'' * 2000 – The Games of the XXVII Olympiad 2000: Music from the Opening Ceremony CD & DVD * 2002 – ''Big Band'' – with James Morrison * 2002 – Geoff Achison - ''Chasing My Tail'' * 2005 – John Farnham - ''I Remember When I Was Young: Songs from the Great Australian Songbook'' * 2007 – ''Simon Tedeschi & Ian Cooper'' – with

* 2007 –

& James Morrison - ''The Other Woman'' * 2008 –

Melinda Schneider Melinda Schneider (born Melinda-Jane Bean; 7 October 1971) is an Australian country music singer and songwriter and radio host. Schneider has been performing since she was three and sang with her mother, the renowned yodelling country artist Mar ...

- ''Be Yourself'' * 2008 –

- ''

A Celebration in Song ''A Celebration in Song'' is the twenty-third and final solo studio album by British-Australian pop singer Olivia Newton-John, released on 3 June 2008 by Warner Bros. in Australia. The worldwide release of the album was by EMI, on 2 September 2 ...

'' * 2008 –

& James Morrison - ''The Other Woman – Live DVD'' * 2008 –

- ''Hits & Rarities'' * 2009 – The Smokin' Crawdads - ''Straight to the Pool Room'' * 2009 – ''Ballads and Bossa Nova'' with James Morrison, Emma Pask, Jim Pennell, Steve Brien, Paul Cutlan &

Phil Stack Phillip Barry Stack (born 1977) is an Australian jazz and rock musician. He is the founding mainstay bass guitarist of the pop rock band Thirsty Merc, which formed in 2002; the regular double bassist for jazz musician James Morrison; and he is ...

* 2009 – ''Quintet'' with

& James Morrison * 2010 –

The Idea of North The Idea of North are an Australian a cappella vocal ensemble founded in Canberra in 1993, by Nick Begbie (tenor), Meg Corson (alto), Trish Delaney-Brown (soprano) and Andrew Piper (bass). In March 2002 Corson was replaced as alto by Naomi Cr ...

& James Morrison - ''Feels Like Spring'' * 2010 – Hoodoo Gurus - ''Purity of Essence'' * 2011 –

- ''Life Begins at 40'' * 2012 –

- ''This Christmas'' * 2013 – Nathan Leigh Jones - ''I'll Be Home for Christmas'' * 2014 –

Richard Ingham Richard Ingham (born 25 March 1954, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England) is a composer, performer and educator. He was director of the World Saxophone Congress XVI held July 2012 in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. Biography A graduate of the Univ ...

- ''A Return to Home'' * 2015 – ''Just Passing Through'' – with

and Ian Date * 2015 – Emma Pask - ''Cosita Divina'' * 2015 – Mayhem 101 - ''Six Stars & the Union Jack'' * 2015 –

- ''Almost Wordless'' * 2016 –

- ''Melinda Does Doris Again'' * 2020 – Qantas Airways - ''Qantas In-Flight Safety Video'' * 2020 – Husky - ''Go Don't Stop'' * 2022 – Cats in Space - ''Kickstart the Sun''

Awards and recognition

Ace Awards

(wins only) , - , 1999 , Ian Cooper , Instrumental Act of the Year , , - , 2000 , Ian Cooper , Instrumental Act of the Year , , - , 2016 , Ian Cooper , Instrumental Act of the Year , , -

Golden Fiddle Awards

(wins only) , - , 2005 , Ian Cooper , Best CD by a fiddler as soloist , , - , rowspan="2", 2006 , Ian Cooper , Best fiddler soloist , , - , Ian Cooper - ''Big Band'' , Best CD by a fiddler as soloist , , - , rowspan="2", 2014 , Ian Cooper , Best fiddler as a soloist , , - , Ian Cooper's International Spectacular , Best Band , , -

Mo Awards

The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the

Mo Awards The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards (commonly known informally as the Mo Awards) were an annual Australian entertainment industry award, that where established in 1975, to recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia. They were l ...

), were annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia from 1975 to 2016. Ian Cooper won two awards in that time (wins only) , - , 1998 , Ian Cooper , Instrumental Performer of the Year , , - , 1999 , Ian Cooper , Instrumental Performer of the Year , , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Ian 1970 births Living people Sydney Conservatorium of Music alumni Australian jazz musicians Australian violinists Male violinists Australian male composers Australian composers Musicians from Sydney 21st-century violinists 21st-century Australian male musicians 21st-century Australian musicians Male jazz musicians People educated at Knox Grammar School