Performance Artist
"...Hers is a
sit-up-and-take-notice voice,
full of color and backed by keen musical instincts."
- T. Smith, Sun-Sentinel
"...a dramatic artist that gives sense and meaning to what she is doing, both vocally and dramatically."
- L. Catoni, Opera Newsgroup
There was a girl. A very strange, enchanted girl. Who loved to sing. She crooned with the Carpenters, mimicked Julie Andrews, and bopped along with her Dad who spun old 45s whose grooves emitted the sounds and thrills of the Everly Bros, Buddy Holly, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer, Linda Ronstadt, Crystal Gayle, and countless others... at the drop of a needle.
With hairbrush in hand, a star was born. The songbird warbled day and night, portraying fluttery soprano-voiced Disney princesses and dance-fighting Jets in the slums of NY. Gender and genre were interchangeable.
And it seems, after all these years, nothing has changed.
A few of my favorite things...
Chocolate
Diligence
Honesty
Laughter that hurts
More chocolate
Stories through song
Complexity
Simplicity
Toddlers discovering
Water
Still more chocolate
Music (any)
Smiles in silence
And now...
And now...
I perform.
Opera. Jazz. Blues. Rock. Musical Theater. Plays. Cabarets. Showcases. No genre is safe. (If you pay me enough, I'll rap.)
It's innate and obsessive (in a charming way, not a creepy way). It's how I relate to the world as I know it. It's cathartic and communicative... and connective. (I must add *alliteration* to my Favorite Things list.) It's therapy and bliss. It's challenging and risky. It breeds doubt and confidence, fear and courage.
What an honor and privilege to navigate life along an uncharted path of creativity, discovery, and stories yet to be told.
Professional Bio
Jennifer Cooper's professional opera career spans over 30 principle roles with various companies, including Florida Grand Opera, Michigan Opera, Glimmerglass, Chautauqua, Anchorage Symphony, Asheville, Opera North, and Merola. She has appeared as a solo guest artist with Rappahannock Pops Orchestra, Chesapeake Orchestra's River Concert Series, Ft. Worth Symphony, and others.
She is currently manager and lead vocalist of the popular Jazz/Blues band, GrooveSpan, which performs frequently for festivals, private and public events and venues, throughout the east coast region.
whose mission includes:
1) provide an extraordinary variety of exceptional, quality entertainment for
private and public organizations and individuals,
2) support local youth music education programs through fundraising and
advocacy,
3) provide music education for all ages through private voice instruction,
master classes, workshops, and more.