John Michael Cooper

John Michael Cooper is Professor of Music at Southwestern University, where he holds the Margarett Root Brown Chair in Fine Arts within the Sarofim School of Fine Arts. He joined the faculty in 2006 after previously teaching at the University of North Texas. Dr. Cooper is a distinguished musicologist whose scholarship has significantly contributed to the recovery and promotion of works by African American composers, particularly Florence B. Price and Margaret Bonds.

Dr. Cooper received his academic training at Florida State University, where he earned both his Bachelor of Music (1985) and Master of Music (1988) degrees, before completing his Ph.D. at Duke University in 1994. His educational background has provided the foundation for his extensive scholarly work in music history and performance practice.

His research focuses on music history and society in Europe and the United States from 1600 to the present, with special emphasis on African American composers Florence Price and Margaret Bonds. He also studies music and utopian movements in 19th-century America and the works of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel. Dr. Cooper's scholarship bridges historical musicology with contemporary social issues, particularly regarding race and representation in classical music. His work has introduced numerous previously unknown compositions into the modern musical landscape through world-premiere editions.

Dr. Cooper has received numerous prestigious awards recognizing his scholarly contributions, including:

• Fulbright Fellowship from the Germanistic Society of America
• Paul Secord Spirit of Giving Award from the Alpha Upsilon chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, Inc.
• Scholar in Residence at the Colorado State University School of Music, Theatre and Dance (2016)
• 2007-2008 Warren D. Allen Faculty Citation for Excellence in Scholarship
• Curtis Mayes Orpheus Chair in Musicology

As an educator, Dr. Cooper teaches across the music history curriculum while emphasizing interdisciplinary connections between music and other fields. His courses range from traditional music history surveys to innovative seminars like "Art and Revolution" and "Music and Poetry from the Harlem Renaissance to #BlackLivesMatter." His pedagogical approach helps students understand music as both a lens into historical contexts and an agent of social change, with a particular focus on how musicians communicate societal issues through their art.

Dr. Cooper has directed numerous academic conferences and performances, including multiple Brown Symposia at Southwestern University, and has served on editorial boards for major musicological publications. His scholarly output includes multiple books, dozens of world-premiere editions of previously unpublished works, and numerous peer-reviewed articles that have reshaped understanding of musical canons and representation in classical music.