Ibert - Concertino (live)

Victor Valley College 

Yoshimatsu: Fuzzy Bird Sonata (live)

with ChoEun Lee, piano,
Joseph Martin Waters, composer

Waters: Summer (live)

with Akina Sorrell, piano

1. The Summons
2. Line Dance
3. Couples Dance

John Harbison - San Antonio Sonata

Transcend (2020)
Concertino for Soprano Saxophone and Electronic Orchestra
Composed and Performed by Michael Couper

Transcend represents a perpetual goal of thriving in a world which assaults from all directions. In the first part, Chaos, stressors and gloomy situations fight for attention, constantly shifting focus and making it difficult for the saxophonist to find space for itself. In the second part, Comfort, frustration with all the noise gives way to a desire to disconnect and shut everything out, seeking tranquility and the comfort of the familiar. Finally, in the third part, Clarity, the saxophonist learns to navigate life’s challenges with grace, positivity, and humor. Unable to simply ignore all that is going wrong in the world, it instead takes ownership of the things it can affect and is unencumbered by the things it cannot. Transcend was commissioned by the Mimesis Ensemble and is dedicated to my muse, Cameron Cheung

Transcend - Concertino for Saxophone and Electronic Orchestra

Chopin - Sonata Op. 65 - I. Allegro moderato

Plant: Faustus - A SaxOpera - Act 1

Plant: Faustus - A SaxOpera - Act 2

Plant: Faustus - A SaxOpera - Act 5

Plant: Faustus - A SaxOpera - Act 4

Michael Cooper, Sax 05.06.15

Tanaka: Night Bird

Hailed by the New York Times for his “sweet intensity” and “insinuating smoothness,” Michael Couper, saxophone, is a proponent of the advancement of saxophone repertoire to include new music, traditional music reinterpreted, and innovations in pop styles. Under the pseudonym “Shrodinger's Sax”, Dr. Couper plays soprano saxophone with the highly virtuosic and unique band SWARMIUS, described as a sonic fusion of hip-hop, house-lounge-techno meets modern-classical. Dr. Couper is also a founding member of the critically-acclaimed Mimesis Ensemble, a group based in New York City that is dedicated to performing contemporary works. Both as a soloist and with the Mimesis Ensemble, he performs premieres in many venues across New York, including Symphony Space, Merkin Hall, and Carnegie Hall. 

Dr. Couper is an active teacher and performer in the community, with a private studio comprised of woodwind and music theory students, and positions at several local community music schools and conservatories as well as major summer arts programs. He holds degrees from the University of Southern California, the New England Conservatory, and San Diego State University and is a Conn-Selmer artist endorsing Yanagisawa saxophones. 

Michael Couper

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