UMass Boston

Vocal Performance and Pedagogy , Historically Informed Performance (Baroque and Classical styles) , Musical Theater, Contemporary Commercial Music

BM Voice Performance, San Diego State University
MM Voice Performance, New England Conservatory
MM Opera Performance, New England Conservatory

Jessica Cooper is a soprano who specializes in Historically Informed Performance, and Classical and Baroque styles. She is passionate about creating inclusive “environments of courageous sharing”  in her voice studio and seeks to affirm her students’ identities through the arts. Cooper seeks the advancement of repertoire from “non-traditional” sources, including folk, cultural, and music from the African diaspora in addition to the “classical” body of works. She actively participates in UMass Boston’s culture of social justice, diversity, urban and global engagement, and works to promote equitable experiences for all UMass Boston students regardless of age, economic or cultural backgrounds. She received her Masters of Music in Performance (Voice specialty) and Opera at New England Conservatory in 2000. She received her Bachelor of Music in Vocal performance at San Diego State University in 1997, where she was awarded the outstanding music graduate award. Cooper is a member of the national music honor society Pi Kappa Lambda.

Cooper's personal goals for affirming identities through the arts in all her work can be defined as: 

• To build community by bringing awareness to difficult issues of social identity  and belonging, using musical, theatrical, and literary contexts;
• To expose students to the performing arts and their expressive power;
• To prepare students to be challenged and inspired in creative spaces of social inclusion and courageous sharing. 

Cooper was appointed Community Relations Director of the National Association of the Teachers of Singing, Boston Chapter in 2020, and is the founder and artistic director the Henry Purcell Society of Boston, a nonprofit specializing in historically informed performance of music from the English Baroque repertoire. Cooper has appeared in several recordings, including the Grammy award winning Far in the Heavens, Prayers and Remembrances, with the True Concord ensemble and orchestra.