David Cooper, Cello
It all began with a swan. When 4th grader David heard the cello in The Swan by Camille Saint-Saens, he knew cello was the instrument for him. “My mom took me to lots of piano lessons from when I was little,” David says. “My dad wanted me to be in band. But, when I heard that, it touched my soul.” He played cello through elementary, middle and high school in East Lansing, Michigan. Amplified by a school foreign exchange program that allowed him to play Barber’s Adagio for Strings (whether it’s really the saddest music ever written, it’s certainly soulful!) and Albinoni in magnificent spired churches. He also became the school’s lighting director for all its theater productions.
David went on to Columbia College Chicago, a private art college, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Architecture and Lighting Design. “I created my own major, studying the physiological and psychological effects of lighting in buildings, such as hospitals, educational buildings and theaters.” And he kept playing cello. In fact, “I finagled my way into a cello internship with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under Ricardo Mutti!”
A career in lighting design seemed to be calling, and David moved to Perth, Australia, where he created the lighting for theater and shows that came through, such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish and, yes, Taylor Swift. But then….Covid. He moved back home, became and EMT and thence to Breckenridge, Colorado as a ski patrol EMT for a bit. From there, to England where he played organ on Saturdays at the medieval St. Mary’s Church in Stamford, Lincolnshire. And busked on the street corners on cello.
In early 2023 David visited a friend in the Bay Area and decided to stay. He’s now a research coordinator and director of environmental health and safety at Brillouin Energy in Berkeley, which is developing renewable energy technologies capable of producing commercially useful amounts of thermal energy.
“There’s a reason I play cello; it’s the biggest love of my life. I just showed up to a Prometheus rehearsal two years ago, music in hand. No one knew who I was or why I was there, but Eric said if I could make it through a rehearsal, I could join the orchestra.” He did, and he’s here. “I enjoy my Mondays!” And we do too!
