Our Conductor
Iain Cooper
 Iain
Cooper was born in Bristol and began his musical education as a chorister first
at St. Mary Redcliffe and later at the Cathedral. He studied the organ with the
late Clifford Harker at Bristol Cathedral and with Walter Hillsman at Oxford and
the piano with Norman Jones in Bristol and with Robert Ferguson in Cambridge.
He read Music at Keble College, Oxford where he was accompanist to the
Chapel Choir and directed the Arcadian Singers, a select undergraduate chamber
choir, and the Cumnor Choral Society. He also holds the degree of M.Litt of
Bristol University for his thesis on the composer Gerald Finzi.
Iain began his teaching career in Salisbury and then moved to Peterborough to
become Director of Music at the King’s School, the Cathedral’s choir school.
He
spent the years from 1988 to 2001 in Cambridge, most of them as Director of
Music at the Perse School. He also directed the Walmisley Singers of Cambridge
and the Cambridge Youth Orchestra.
In
December 2001 Iain moved to Cheltenham to pursue a freelance career. He examines
for the Associated Board, tutors on the Open University’s Humanities
foundation course and postgraduate Music programme as well as teaching the piano
at Dean Close School He is also conductor of Bridgwater Choral Society in
Somerset, with whom Cleeve Chorale will combine again in the Spring of 2009.
In 2008 Iain moved to Exeter but has continued his teaching and
conducting in Cheltenham. Iain has
particularly enjoyed Cleeve Chorale’s tours to Hungary, Austria and Italy as
they have provided an opportunity to pursue his interest in European travel and
languages.
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