From love-torn Carmen to little-lost Hansel, Jennifer Anne Cooper, music '94, has played
nearly 30 lead opera roles in her relatively short career. Recognized not only regionally but
nationally, the number of awards and accolades she has earned far outweigh the number of years she
has been singing professionally. To her, the opera is more than a vocation; it is a means to
communicate with each audience member in a way that is both magical and palpably moving. "It's
inspiring for everyone," she says.
"Opera exposes community members to foreign languages, beautiful un-amplified human voices,
enthusiastic orchestras, larger-than-life sets and costumes, magnificent choreography and
mind-altering stories which range from intense drama to slap-stick comedy," says Cooper.
It is this breadth of experience that inspires Cooper to not only perform, but conduct classes
with students and expose them to the intricacies of the medium as well as their own creative
potential. She performed a recital in the UMBC Fine Arts Recital Hall in February 1998, and in 1997
conducted a masterclass for UMBC's department of music.
"When I present a masterclass to college students," she says, "I cover everything from how to
audition to how to handle your taxes. I truly enjoy sharing this kind of information, the inside
stuff, with students so they can make an educated decision about what they are choosing to do with
their lives."
"It's a very complex career and only rewards those who are passionate about it and driven, beyond
comprehension, to make a living as a performing artist," she says.
Cooper made her PBS television debut in 1999 as Melina and the au pair in the world premier of
"Central Park," a new opera commissioned by Glimmerglass Opera, New York City Opera and Great
Performances with PBS. The Florida Grand Opera engaged her for choice roles during their 1999-2000
season; she is presently in rehearsals there for lead parts in "Eugene Onegin" and "La
Cenerentola." Next year she will sing a performance of "Il Barbiere di Siviglia" as Rosina
with the Florida Grand Opera at the Broward Center for Performing Arts in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. She has
performed across the country and in Europe.
While studying at UMBC, Cooper not only performed in every UMBC opera production as well as with
the Maryland Camerata; she served as the president of the Council of Music Majors and acted as a UMBC
Ambassador, giving weekly tours of campus to incoming students and their families.
