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

Biography

Cooper was born in North

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, 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 Dominic Edward Cooper (born 2 June 1978) is an English actor known for his portrayal of comic book characters Jesse Custer on the AMC show ''Preacher'' (2016–2019) and young Howard Stark in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with appearances ...

. 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. S ...

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 Marguerite Lo ...

Yvonne Lefébure Yvonne Lefébure (29 June 1898, Ermont – 23 January 1986, Paris) was a French pianist and teacher. Born in Ermont, she studied with Alfred Cortot at the Conservatoire de Paris, taking a ''premier prix'' in piano and numerous other subjects. She ...

and

Germaine Mounier Germaine Mounier (7 February 1920 – 27 June 2006) was a 20th-century French classical pianist and music educator. Biography Born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Mounier won First prize at the Conservatoire de Paris. She worked the piano with Yves Nat and ...

. 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 Arthur Rubinstein ( pl, Artur Rubinstein; 28 January 188720 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.

and

Clifford Curzon Sir Clifford Michael Curzon CBE (né Siegenberg; 18 May 19071 September 1982) was an English classical pianist. Curzon studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and subsequently with Artur Schnabel in Berlin and Wanda Landowska and Na ...

, and subsequently studied in Vienna with

Alfred Brendel Alfred Brendel KBE (born 5 January 1931) is an Austrian classical pianist, poet, author, composer, and lecturer who is known particularly for his performances of Mozart, Schubert, Schoenberg, and Beethoven.Stephen Plaistow"Brendel, Alfred" ' ...

Paul Badura-Skoda Paul Badura-Skoda (6 October 1927 – 25 September 2019) was an Austrian pianist. Career A student of Edwin Fischer, Badura-Skoda first rose to prominence by winning first prize in the Austrian Music Competition in 1947. In 1949, he perform ...

and

Jörg Demus Jörg Wolfgang Demus (2 December 1928 – 16 April 2019) was an Austrian classical pianist who appeared internationally and made many recordings. He was also a composer and a lecturer at music academies. In composition and playing, he focused on ...

, 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 Franz Peter Schubert (; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical and early Romantic eras. Despite his short lifetime, Schubert left behind a vast ''oeuvre'', including more than 600 secular vocal wor ...

and

Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

, but she has also been involved in modern music, giving the premières of works such as ''

Traced Overhead ''Traced Overhead'' is a composition for piano by the British composer Thomas Adès. The work was commissioned by the pianist Imogen Cooper and the Cheltenham Music Festival with additional funding from Arts Council England. Its world premiere w ...

'' by

Thomas Adès Thomas Joseph Edmund Adès (born 1 March 1971) is a British composer, pianist and conductor. Five compositions by Adès received votes in the 2017 Classic Voice poll of the greatest works of art music since 2000: '' The Tempest'' (2004), ''V ...

. 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 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 o ...

(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 The King's Medal for Music (or the Queen's Medal for Music during the reign of a queen) is an annual award, instituted in 2005, for contribution to the musical life of Great Britain. The Medal may be awarded to people of any nationality. The expe ...

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

* *

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