Anna Cooper

Anna spent her teenage years living on Dartmoor, in the West Country, and attending Dartington College of Arts. She then took up a place at the Royal Academy of Music, London, to study violin and piano.

After graduating, the bright lights of the Edinburgh Festival enticed her to move to Scotland, where she co-wrote a score for a new production of Carmen, winning a Fringe 1st.

Subsequently given an Equity card, she began playing, writing, & acting  with theatre companies – both large and small, including the Royal Shakespeare and Royal National Theatre. Along the way, with tours from USA to Australia, she picked up many new skills – such as acrobatics, fire –juggling, stilt-walking and puppetry.

She also played in, and led many West End shows, including Joseph, the Sound of Music and Oklahoma. She survived a tour with Oasis, and played and recorded with jazz musicians including Jools Holland and his Rhythm & Blues Orchestra, Cleo Laine and Digby Fairweather .

Unlike her esteemed colleagues, Anna has never been asked to play a concerto at the Carnegie Hall – and the only 1st prize she remembers receiving is the’ 12yrs and younger’ Piano Duet class at the Cheltenham festival – although once, many years ago, The Guardian newspaper described her as ‘unfairly talented’ ( although this could have been a typo?)

As a living example for the saying ‘life begins at fifty’, Anna put down her (by now rather damaged) violin, and took up the viola, and for charity, the piano accordion. Shortly after this, she met the newly-founded Ensemble Reza, and simply refused to go home.

Anna is constantly surprised and delighted that the whole team seem to put up with her new arrangements, compositions and odd ideas, and is nowhere more at home than when playing with such loyal friends, and brilliant musicians.