Faculty
Nancy Cooper
Dr. Nancy Cooper, adjunct assistant professor of music, teaches music theory, organ, and harpsichord, and is the University Carillonneur. She is an active recitalist, having given solo concerts throughout the United States, Canada, England, and Germany. She has performed at regional and national conventions of the American Guild of Organists, the Organ Historical Society, the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, and the AGO Conference on Organ Pedagogy. Her 2006-2007 concert schedule included recitals in North Carolina, Tennessee, Oregon, Washington, Illinois and Montana.
Dr. Cooper is one of the most respected authorities on Jeffersonian-era music in the United States. She was music consultant for Ken Burns' PBS documentary film, Jefferson, which aired in February 1997, and performed on the soundtrack as harpsichordist and fortepianist. Cooper and colleague Jan Walters have done extensive research into the musical life of Maria Cosway, friend of Jefferson during his years in Paris; the two co-authored a chapter on Maria Cosway’s musical life that was included in an Italian biography of Cosway, entitled Maria E Richard Cosway, published in 1998. In addition, they co-authored an article on Cosway that was included in the new edition of the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, which was released in 2001. Cooper has presented lecture-concerts on Jefferson, and the music of his life and times, in academic, community, and church settings throughout the United States; she was one of the featured presenters for the Inaugural Week festivities celebrating the opening the Bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, which was held in Charlottesville, Virginia, in January 2003. She was a member of the Speakers Bureau of the Montana Committee for the Humanities, presenting Jeffersonian programs throughout Montana, from 1996-2006.
Contact Dr. Cooper: nancy.cooper@umontana.edu