“Kenneth Cooper, a harpsichordist, pianist and musicologist who was acclaimed for performances of Baroque music that balanced historical insights with engaging spontaneity, whose nearly 100 recordings included forays into contemporary works and ragtime, and whose collaborators included Yo-Yo Ma, died on March 13 in Manhattan. He was 79,” writes Anthony Tommasini in Friday’s (3/19) New York Times. “He had suffered a stroke a few days earlier at his Manhattan apartment. Mr. Cooper had a flair for improvisation and ornamentation based on his scholarly studies of early music practices…. In 1993, … [he founded] the Berkshire Bach Ensemble … which he directed for 23 years…. Kenneth Cooper was born in New York City … and … began studying piano at a young age. [He studied] at the Mannes College of Music with the eminent harpsichordist Sylvia Marlow. He then attended Columbia University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree, a master’s and, in 1971, a doctorate in musicology.… Mr. Cooper performed regularly at festivals in Santa Fe, N.M.; Lucerne, Switzerland; and Salzburg, Austria. He also appeared with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center…. He taught at Barnard, Columbia, Mannes and elsewhere.” Survivors include his wife, soprano and voice teacher Josephine Mongaiaro-Cooper; their son, actor and singer Nicholas Mongiardo-Cooper; and a sister, Constance Cooper.
Change font size
