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

Biography

Cooper was born in North

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, daughter of the musicologist Martin du Pré Cooper and Mary Stewart, artist. 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 Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

to study for six years at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique (CNSM) with

Jacques Février Jacques Février (26 July 1900 – 2 September 1979) was a French pianist and teacher. Life and career Jacques Février was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, the son of the composer Henry Février. He studied with Édouard Risler and Marguerit ...

, 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 The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke ...

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 Wolfgang Holzmair (born 1952 in Vöcklabruck) is an Austrian baritone. Holzmair studied at the Vienna Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He won 2nd prize in the baritone class of the 's-Hertogenbosch International Vocal Competition in 1981, an ...

. She was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

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

Discography

* ''Robert and Clara Schumann Lieder: with Wolfgang Holzmair'' (Philips /462-610-2, 2002) * ''Eichendorff Lieder: with Wolfgang Holzmair'' (Philips/464-991-2, 2002) * ''Mozart: Piano concertos 23 and 9'' (Avie/AV2100, 2006) * ''Wolf Songs'' (Wigmore Hall Live/WHLIVE0029, 2009) * ''Mozart: Piano concertos 22 and 18'' (Avie/AV2200, 2010) * ''Schubert: Song Cycles with Wolfgang Holzmair'' (Decca Box set/CD0289 478 42729, 2012) * ''Schumann: Davidsbündlertänze, etc.'' (Chandos/CHAN10874, 2015) * ''Imogen Cooper's Chopin'' (Chandos/CHAN10902, 2016) * ''Liszt and Wagner'' (Chandos/CHAN10938. 2017) * ''Beethoven: Diabelli Variations'' (Chandos/CHAN20085, 2018) * ''Iberia y Francia'' (Chandos/CHAN20119, 2019) * ''Le Temps Perdu'' (Chandos/CHAN20235, 2021)

Honours and Awards

* 1969 The London Mozart Players' Mozart Memorial Prize * 1997 Hon. Member of the Royal Academy of Music * 1999 Hon. Doctor of Music at Exeter University * 2007 New Year Honours, CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for services to music * 2008 Royal Philharmonic Society Performers Award, and mentor on the RPS Philip Langridge mentoring scheme * 2012–13 Humanitas – Visiting Professor in Classical Music and Music Education at the University of Oxford. * 2019 The Queen's Medal for Music * 2021 Appointed to chair the Leeds International Piano Competition jury * 2021 Birthday Honours, DBE (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for services to music

References

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External links

Imogen Cooper
(Official website)
Askonas Holt
(Manager's website) {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Imogen 1949 births Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire English classical pianists English women pianists Honorary Members of the Royal Academy of Music Musicians awarded knighthoods Living people Women classical pianists Helpmann Award winners 21st-century classical pianists 21st-century English women musicians 20th-century classical pianists 20th-century English women musicians 21st-century British pianists 20th-century English musicians 20th-century women pianists 21st-century women pianists