Hailed as a “intensely dramatic” (Cleveland Classical), and praised for his “elegant and expressive playing” (Boston Musical Intelligencer), violinist Thomas Cooper has established himself as one of the most dynamic young musicians and leaders of his generation. A three-time winner of New England Conservatory’s Entrepreneurial Musicianship award, Cooper is the founder and Artistic Director of Fermata Chamber Soloists, an award-winning collective of young artists performing innovative concerts.

In the 2023-2024 season, Cooper appears regularly in concerts as a soloist and chamber musician, with engagements to include performances of Saint-Georges Violin Concerto in A Major with the New England Repertory Orchestra, and the Du Bois Orchestra, as well as Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with cellist Tyler James, and pianist Byron Zhou - in addition to a session at WGBH’s Fraser Performance Studio recording Chausson’s Poème.

Previously, Cooper has appeared with several orchestras, including the Colorado College Festival Orchestra, the Coeur D’Alene Symphony Orchestra, the Credo Baroque Orchestra, the Bar Harbor Music Festival Orchestra, the Du Bois Orchestra, and the Middlesex Chamber Orchestra among others. He is a laureate of the Naftzger, Arlington, Coeur D’Alene, and Cremona International Competitions, and was a semi- finalist at the 2018 Washington International Competition. He has performed as a soloist in venues such as Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall, the Giovanni Arvedi Auditorium at the Stradivari Museum in Cremona, and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

With a love of conductor-less ensemble playing, Cooper has appeared with many of the finest chamber orchestras in the country, including the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, A Far Cry, and the Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra. He has spent his summers performing at Keshet Eilon in Israel, the Mozarteum Summer Academy in Salzburg, Nagold Sommermusik in Bavaria and Festival Orford Musique in Quebec.

As a chamber musician, Cooper has had the fortune of sharing the stage with such groups and individuals as the Oberlin Trio, the Jupiter String Quartet, David Bowlin, Amir Eldan, Evgeny Sinaiski, Vadim Gluzman, and Per Ennokson. An avid performer of new music, Cooper has appeared on the Boston Symphony Orchestra's "What I Hear" concert series, showcasing works of living composers commissioned by the BSO.

As an educator, Cooper is on faculty at Credo Music in Ohio, Project STEP in Boston, and was a guest faculty member at Music Adventure in Spannocchia, Italy. A native of the Boston area, Cooper received his formal training at New England Conservatory and Oberlin Conservatory.

Cooper performs on a 1751 Gennaro Gagliano, on loan from a private collection.