David Cosper

David Cosper is an Associate Professor of Music History & Culture at Towson University's Department of Music (College of Fine Arts and Communication). He holds a PhD in Critical and Comparative Studies in Music from the University of Virginia, and degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His interdisciplinary research focuses on theoretical approaches to musical performance, integrating narratology, literary theory, and media studies with a focus on jazz and contemporary music.

• Education: PhD (University of Virginia), UNC Chapel Hill

Research interests include jazz studies, US music history, and the intersection of performance with narrative theory. His work appears in journals like Jazz Perspectives, Narrative Culture, and Music, Sound, and the Moving Image. He has presented at conferences including the American Musicological Society and served as president of the New Zealand Musicological Society (2015-2017).

Prior to Towson, he taught at University of Virginia (Music/English departments) and Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand School of Music). He maintains active roles as a bassist, composer, and advocate for creativity pedagogy.