Margaret Cooper

Margaret Cooper is a violinist, violist, and teacher.  With over four decades as an orchestral and chamber musician, she has played concerts throughout the United States and Europe.

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She earned her Bachelors and Masters degrees from Indiana University, and spent her junior year studying Baroque Violin at the Hochschule für Musik, in Vienna, Austria with Eduard Melkus.

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With dual careers as a performer and teacher, her academic appointments were at the State University of New York, Fredonia (1987-1993), Ithaca College (1993-2003), and West Virginia University (2007-2008 and 2015).  She taught both violin and viola for eighteen years at the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute, and for five years at the Sewanee Summer Music Center.  She has served as a chamber music coach and string sectional coach for many young students over the last thirty-five years.

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As a chamber musician, she was a founding member of the Ariadne String Quartet, in residence at Ithaca College, the Mercyhurst Quartet in residence at Mercyhurst College (PA), the Allegheny Trio, and Trio Con Brio which had the unique combination of violin/viola, soprano, and piano.  Most recently, she performed and toured with the Sarasvati Trio for seven years.

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Cooper has been a member of the Tulsa Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, Syracuse Symphony, Erie Philharmonic, Musica Regala and Ars Nova, as well as serving as Concertmaster of the Western New York Chamber Orchestra and Associate Concertmaster of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra and the Ohio Valley Chamber Orchestra.

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In addition to being a member of the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra, she is also a member of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra during their summer seasons, and at the 1891 Fredonia Opera House as a member of the International Baroque Soloists.