David Cooper Horn Interview
Welcome to the show notes for Episode #17 of Horn Signal! This episode features an interview with Los Angeles Philharmonic associate principal horn, David Cooper.
About David Cooper
David Cooper is recognized as one of the best horn players of his generation, known for his lyrical phrasing and exceptional technique. He was appointed Principal Horn of the New York Philharmonic in May 2026 by Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel.
Cooper’s orchestral career began as Acting Principal Horn with the Victoria Symphony and Co-Associate Principal Horn of the Fort Worth Symphony. He then served as Principal Horn of the Dallas Symphony (joining as Third Horn in 2011 and becoming Principal Horn in 2013), Solo Horn of the Berlin Philharmonic, Principal Horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Associate Principal Horn of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
He has won Principal Horn positions with the National Symphony Orchestra (2013) and the San Francisco Symphony (2023), and has been guest Principal Horn with numerous orchestras worldwide, including the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Philharmonic, Seoul Philharmonic, Sinfónica de Minería in Mexico, Liceu Opera in Barcelona, London Symphony Orchestra, Utopia Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Baltimore Symphony, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. He joined the Oslo Philharmonic on its 2024 European Tour as Principal Horn under Chief Conductor Klaus Mäkelä.
Cooper maintains an active schedule as an international soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and festival orchestra performer. He has also participated in numerous film and TV soundtracks, including the most recent Superman, Moana 2, Hoppers, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Dedicated to inspiring and cultivating the next generation of musicians, Cooper coaches and presents masterclasses internationally. He founded Horns for Hope, Inc., a non-profit supporting young musicians in underserved communities, and served as Artist Faculty at Roosevelt University and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.
Born in Lansing, Michigan, into a musical family, Cooper began horn studies with Dr. Dale Bartlett and joined the Michigan State University Orchestra while in high school. He received his Bachelor’s degree from The Curtis Institute of Music, where he received a Tanglewood Fellowship, and spent three summers at Marlboro Music Festival. His primary instructors are Jerome Ashby and Eric Ruske.
Cooper’s discography includes the album “Berkeley, Brahms, Leshnoff: Horn Trios” with violinist Alexander Kerr and pianist Orion Weiss, and two solo albums, “Impressions” and “A French Horn and Piano Collaboration” with pianist Cary Chow. These are available on all streaming platforms.
David Cooper Links
Podcast Credits
- “Haydn Symphony #31 “Horn Signal““, “Hornpipe” Water Music by Handel and “Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral” from Wagner’s Lohengrin
- Audio Engineer – Preston Shepard
- Cover Art – Meg Ryia
- Podcast Hosts – John Snell and Preston Shepard
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French Horn player, Laura Brenes began playing horn when she was 9 years old. She decided to give life as a professional musician a shot after being a part of the “Disney Collegiate All-Star Band” in 1999. After that, she studied with the legendary Vince DeRosa while obtaining her master’s degree at the University of Southern California. While still in school, she began performing with local orchestras and various ensembles. She has been able to perform in numerous diverse musical situations. Some highlights include being a part of the orchestra for the academy awards, touring the world with groups including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, performing concerts with Danny Elfman at the Coachella music festival, and becoming a Guiness Book of World Records Record holder for being a part of the largest ever orchestra for a hip-hop concert. Over the years, the majority of her work has been in the recording studio where she can be heard on hundreds of soundtracks for all types of media. Among the titles are “Star Wars,” “Oppenheimer,” “West Side Story (2021),” “Frozen,” “The Fablemans,” “Turning Red,” “Disenchanted,” “Jungle Cruise,” “Free Guy,” “Encanto,” “Avatar,” “SpongeBob,” “Inside Out,” and many more. Laura has been solo principal horn for many projects including John Williams’ series “Obi Wan (2022).” She released a solo album in 2015 entitled “a Time and a Place” which can be found on all platforms.
John Little has been a touring member of the Starlight Horn Duo, been a featured artist at the Northeast Horn Workshop, a teaching clinician for the Northeast Horn Workshop, performed as a featured soloist at the KMEA, KMTA, Southern Indiana Mozart Festival, with the Jewish Community Orchestra, The Kentuckiana Philharmonic, The Christian Academy of Louisville Wind Ensemble, Featured artist/clinician at the Ohio University Horn Weekend, and most recently at Murray State University, and Campbellsville University, The University of Kentucky, Valdosta State University, The University of Illinois, and The University of Missouri at Kansas City Conservatory.
Preston Shepard is an active free-lance hornist in the Los Angeles area. A student of Joseph Meyer, he studied at Cal State University Northridge and Azusa Pacific University. Preston has performed with the San Diego Symphony, the Los Angeles Opera, Pacific Symphony, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Long Beach Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, Opera Santa Barbara, San Bernardino Symphony, New West Symphony, Redlands Symphony, Riverside Philharmonic, Santa Maria Symphony, Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, and many others around the Greater Los Angeles area. He has also recorded on numerous feature films, television shows and specials such as Avatar 2, Zootopia 2, Hocus Pocus 2, Aquaman 2, Wish, Encanto : Live at the Hollywood Bowl, The Game Awards, Big City Greens, The Nun, The Boogeyman, Geostorm, Inhumans, The Orville, Blood and Treasure, Homecoming Season 2, Star Trek : Lower Decks, Picard, Discovery, Strange New Worlds, Solar Opposites, and Presumed Innocent as well as for video game projects such as Fortnite, Overwatch and League of Legends. He has also recorded on albums for artists such as Avenged Sevenfold and Deadmau5. Preston is the adjunct professor of horn at Westmont College and The Master’s University.
Audrey Flores
