Bio
Last Updated: June 2011
Hailed by the New York Times for his "sweet intensity" and "insinuating smoothness," Michael Couper, saxophone, is a proponent of the advancement of saxophone repertoire to include new music, traditional music reinterpreted, and innovations in pop styles. Mr. Couper is a founding member of the critically-acclaimed Mimesis Ensemble, a group based in New York City that is dedicated to performing works by living composers. With the Mimesis Ensemble, Mr. Couper performed premieres in many venues across New York, including Symphony Space, Merkin Hall, and Carnegie Hall. Partnering with saxophonist Kenneth Radnofsky, Mr. Couper co-founded a music publishing company, RadnofskyCouperEDITIONS that endeavors to enrich the repertoire of the modern saxophonist, offering as part of its catalogue adaptations of historical masterworks as well as exciting new commissions.
With the Quadrivium Saxophone Quartet, Mr. Couper received a Performance Outreach Fellowship from New England Conservatory (NEC) to give educational and multi-faceted recitals in the Boston area, in schools and after-school programs as well as in adult communities. Mr. Couper has also performed with the Boston-based new music ensemble, Juventas, and the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. Utilizing the saxophone, clarinet, and flute, Mr. Couper plays frequently for musical theater productions, and also serves as musical director and conductor for Stage House Theater. He is an active teacher and performer in the community, with a studio comprised of saxophone, clarinet, flute, and music theory students.
Mr. Couper is working on his Doctorate at the University of Southern California. He earned his Master of Music from New England Conservatory and his Bachelor of Music from San Diego State University, where he was the outstanding graduate for the School of Music. Mr. Couper currently studies saxophone with James Rotter and Jason Goldman, composition with Frank Ticheli, and conducting with Larry Livingston. His past teachers include Kenneth Radnofsky, Todd Rewoldt, Cory Homnick, and Douglas Masek for saxophone, and Brent Dutton and Malcolm Peyton for composition. Mr. Couper is a Conn-Selmer artist endorsing Yanagisawa saxophones.
