By W.A. Davis, St. Mary’s Arts Council
Our Monday Spotlight is shining brightly on local performing artist Jennifer Cooper!
We had the pleasure of spending a fun-filled day with Jennifer last February 13th at the Maryland Arts Day event in Annapolis, an annual arts advocacy event. We recently caught back up with her to learn more about her life and adventures as an international performing artist!
Jennifer has been singing from a very early start, before she could form words she was happily humming and creating her own sounds and rhythms. By 12 years old Jennifer had her first onstage role and by 19 had booked her first professional (paid) performance.
Strongly influenced by her father and his love for a wide variety of music, Jennifer would avidly listen as the LPs from her family’s record collection spun songs by Ella Fitzgerald, Herb Alpert, Buddy Holly, Linda Ronstadt, Queen, Ray Charles, and many others. During Jennifer’s high school years “Phantom of the Opera” and “Les Miserables” debuted on Broadway and inspired our artist with sensational perspectives of both acting and dancing as well as musical performances.
Ms. Cooper has a multi-talented approach to the arts of which she demonstrates amazing skills in many areas. “Opera fills my entire body with electrifying resonance that cannot be explained with mere words…” she relates to us, joyful interpretations of jazz, blues, and pop have also been added to her repertoire over the years. “Communicating through music is what makes me tick.”
As a voice instructor (vocal pedagogy, audition coaching, performance preparation, etc), Jennifer Cooper is a true gem in Southern Maryland. She has worked with both children and adults of varying ages and skill levels and has taught and facilitated master classes, produced showcases and recitals, and created/ developed/ directed workshops and symposiums for aspiring young performers.
As owner and operator of Go-DIVA! Productions, Inc. and manager of GrooveSpan, Jennifer has worn many creative hats in the music industry from performer, writer, social media/ marketing agent, event-planner, web designer, and more.
Despite Jennifer’s many talents and travels through the world in her musical career, what struck us most is her genuine personality and love for performing. Despite the many challenges created by the current pandemic, Jennifer has adapted to meet the needs of the current climate. She has transitioned to virtual platforms as the venues shut down, continued to work with her students online – keeping them engaged and helping them to follow their dreams – and has recently been a featured performer as part of the 2020 River Concert Series (presented by video).
We miss that day last February when we all traveled to Annapolis to be a unified voice of the arts, unbeknownst to us that a global pandemic would decimate much of what we take for granted and the arts world as we knew it to be. We admire Jennifer for being a true inspiration in these difficult times and for continuing to teach, to plan, to share, and to inspire. Shine on Jennifer!
To learn more about our featured artist, see links below:
Go-DIVA! Productions, Inc. = go-diva.webs.com
Jennifer Cooper / Performing Artist = jennifercoopervoice.com
GrooveSpan = groovespan.com
Cooper Voice Studio = coopervoicestudio.mymusicstaff.com
Facebook / “GrooveSpan” = https://www.facebook.com/GrooveSpan-243861429019625/
Facebook / “Go-DIVA Productions, Inc.” = https://www.facebook.com/Go-DIVA-Productions-Inc-50414835811/
Twitter = GoDivaPro