Michael Couper

Michael Couper is a proponent of new music and the advancement of saxophone repertoire. In 2008 he made his Merkin Hall debut in 2008 as a founding member of the critically-acclaimed Mimesis Ensemble, and will perform as a soloist at Carnegie Hall in 2011. Partnering with saxophonist Kenneth Radnofsky, Mr. Couper co-founded a music publishing company 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 played frequently in the orchestra pits of several San Diego-based theatre companies, and performed extensively with the San Diego State University (SDSU) and Corporeal saxophone quartets in cooperation with the SDSU Adams Project. He is an active teacher in the community, with a studio comprised of saxophone, clarinet, 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 SDSU School of Music and the recipient of the Doris Mary Rogers Scholarship and the Alvin Morrison Memorial Scholarship for his musical studies, as well as the Provost Award through the University Honors Program. Mr. Couper currently studies saxophone with James Rotter. His past teachers include Kenneth Radnofsky and Todd Rewoldt for saxophone, Frank Ticheli for composition, and Larry Livingston for conducting.