West Virginia Symphony Orchestra Music Director Grant Cooper “announced his retirement this past weekend with plans to stay with the orchestra for a few years until his role is filled,” reports Carrie Hodousek at Monday’s (9/21) MetroNews (Charleston, W.Va.). Cooper, who led the season-opening concert on Saturday night, “will conduct the entire 2015-16 season and will conduct all pops, education and touring programs during the 2016-17 season.” Cooper “says his first concert as the conductor of the West Virginia Symphony came during a time when the country was in shock after the 9/11 attacks. That concert was scheduled for September 15, 2001. ‘We didn’t know for sure we wanted to do the concert, even,’ said Cooper. ‘The first concert I gave with the orchestra was at a terrible time in our nation’s history, but it was also an opportune time to show just how important the orchestra could be in playing a positive and reinforcing role in people’s lives.’ To this day, Cooper said that concert was one of his proudest achievements in the past 15 years.” A search committee from the orchestra “will be announcing the [music director] position and accepting resumes internationally over the next few months.”
September 24, 2015
