Sounds of Cinema Program Notes

Sounds of Cinema
Conducted by Grant Cooper
March 8th, 2025 | 7 PM | Union Colony Civic Center

After completing his degree in pure mathematics at the University of Auckland, conductor Grant Cooper traveled to the United States for further studies in music. His initial opportunities as a conductor grew from his colleagues’ invitations to lead them in larger chamber ensemble performances. Since then, his many guest conducting engagements have included the Houston Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, The Florida Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony, New Mexico Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Philharmonia, and Syracuse Opera, among many others. He has made successful debut appearances with the Kennedy Center Orchestra and, on the international stage, with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the Malaysian Philharmonic.

Cooper served as resident conductor of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra from 1997-2007. He accepted a position as artistic director and conductor of the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra in 2001 and was named Music Director Emeritus in 2021. He continues to return to West Virginia as a guest conductor and has, as of the current season, conducted an extraordinary 799 public performances with the orchestra. He also served as the founding artistic director of the annual Bach & Beyond festival in Fredonia, New York, and as a resident conductor of the Eastern Music Festival.

A native of Salvador, Brazil, violinist/violist Yuri Santos is a distinguished performer recognized for his versatility in orchestral, solo, and chamber music repertoire. He was appointed Concertmaster by the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra in 2024. Yuri’s accolades include first prizes at the Beethoven-Haus Bonn String Quartet Competition, Macauley Chamber Music Competition, and the South Florida Young Artist Solo Competition, as well as being a recipient of the Music Society of Coral Lakes and Edward H. Benenson awards. As soloist, he has appeared with the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, Bachiana Filarmônica Sesi-São Paulo, and Orquestra Antunes Câmara. His festival engagements include the Music Academy of the West, Britten-Pears Chamber Music, and Meadowmount School of Music. An active chamber musician, Yuri has performed extensively across the United States, Europe, and Brazil, collaborating with renowned artists such as Jeremy Denk, Andrés Díaz, and Peter Bruns, as well as the Calidore and Aeolus Quartets. He was a member of the Lírios Quartet, which was named Emerging Artist Quartet in Residence at the MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis. The quartet served the prestigious Graduate String Quartet Residency at the University of Colorado Boulder for two years, under the mentorship of the Takács Quartet.

Yuri began his musical studies at the age of eight under the tutelage of his father, Ênio Antunes. He holds a Bachelor of Music and a Performer Diploma from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he studied with Kevork Mardirossian, Mauricio Fuks, and Mark Holloway.