Jane Coop that extra something.

"It is difficult to pinpoint what makes this pianist so expressive, for in her playing everything works together ... Coop has that extra something that lets a pianist become a poet. "--MONTREAL GAZETTE

On Sunday March 25, participants in the Collaborative Conference will enjoy a special concert at Roy Thompson Hall. This stunningly beautiful Toronto landmark is in the heart of the theater district and within comfortable walking distance of the conference site. Under the baton of Bramwell Tovey, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra will present a program consisting of Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto, Saint Saens's Organ Symphony and Stephen Chatman's Over Thorns to Stars. This is certain to be one of the highlights of the Collaborative Conference.

The featured soloist, Jane Coop, is one of Canada's most distinguished pianists. I first heard Jane perform many years ago in Toronto, when I was still a student and she was just beginning her career. I remember being impressed and inspired by her playing, which was admirable in every respect. Her pianistic brilliance and lyricism, coupled with the ability to communicate intimately with the audience was so striking that I remember the concert vividly even now!

Since then, I have followed her career with great interest. Over the years I have enjoyed her performances, listened to her recordings and heard glowing reports from students describing her teaching. Indeed, in keeping with the theme of our Collaborative Conference, her musical activities have been rich in diversity, encompassing the roles of solo pianist, collaborative artist, recording artist, master class artist, teacher and mentor.

Her career also reflects the geographic diversity of Canada, as it has unfolded literally from coast to coast. Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, her early studies took place in Calgary, Alberta, with Alexandra Mann and Gladys Egbert, followed by studies with Anton Kuerti at the University of Toronto. After serving as Kuerti's teaching assistant from 1976-80, she began teaching at the University of British Columbia, where she is currently professor of piano and chamber music.

Her studies also included work with Peter Feuchtwanger in London and Leon Fleisher in Baltimore. In 1971 she was awarded the W.O. Forsyth Memorial Scholarship for study in Europe, and was also the recipient of Canada Council grants for study in the United States. She was winner of the prestigious CBC National Young Performer's Competition in 1970 and Washington International Piano Competition in 1975. Since then, she has performed with virtually every major orchestra in Canada, including numerous appearances with the Toronto Symphony, as well as the CBC Vancouver Chamber Orchestra, Calgary Philharmonic, National Arts Centre Orchestra, Edmonton, Victoria, Winnipeg and Saskatoon Symphony Orchestras.

On the international scene, Coop has appeared as recitalist and soloist throughout North America, Europe and Asia, playing in the most magnificent halls of the world including the Lincoln Centre, Kennedy Centre, Wigmore Hall, Salle Gaveau and the Great Hall of St. Petersburg in Russia.

Coop's repertoire is broad and diverse, encompassing works from the 18th century to the 20th century. Her impressive discography--14 recordings in total--includes solo masterworks by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Brahms, Debussy and Ravel. Highlights include such staples of the repertory as Bach Keyboard Suites, Beethoven Sonatas, Chopin Mazurkas and Nocturnes, as well as Concertos by Bartok and Prokofiev. A favorite is the two-volume set entitled Romantic Piano. My personal copies of these discs have been loaned out to students on many occasions, as the cross-section of works by Chopin, Liszt, Schubert, Schumann and Mendelssohn performed with musical intelligence, imagination and warmth serves as an excellent resource allowing young pianists to explore and discover some of the most popular compositions of these great masters. I look forward to hearing her latest recording, which includes the C Minor Piano Quartet by Faure, performed with the Satie Quartet from Lyons, France.

As a collaborative artist she has appeared in song recitals with Ingemar Korjus, Rosemarie Landry, Janet Stubbs and Catherine Robbin, and in chamber music concerts with Andrew Dawes, with whom she has recorded and performed the complete Beethoven Sonata cycle, Martin Beaver and many others. She has also participated as resident artist in the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival in Blue Hill, Maine, where she continues to perform with world-class musicians, among them members of the Juillard Quartet.

Another area of interest has been 20th-century music. She has presented first performances of works by prominent Canadian composers including John Beckwith's Etudes (Vancouver, 1984) Jean Coulthard's Sonata No. 2 (Vancouver, 1989) and Malcolm Forsyth's Piano Concerto (1993). In 1981 she premiered Black and White Fantasy by Stephen Chatman. Coincidentally, Chatman will also be in attendance at the 2007 Collaborative Conference, and his Over Thorns to Stars, a moving tribute composed in honor of the victims of 9/11, will be performed by the Toronto Symphony on March 25.

In May of this year, Coop participated in a performance of Frederic Rzewski's The Road, a 10-hour work for piano involving a musical journey of 64 miles and multiple performers, each contributing a mile or two. Coop combined her participation in the Rzewski Festival held at Trinity College of Music in London, England with master classes at both Trinity College and the Guildhall School. In September, she gave the world premiere performance of a new Piano Concerto by Vancouver composer Ramona Luengen, written for her and commissioned by the CBC. This was performed with the CBC Radio Orchestra under its new conductor, Alain Trudel, and received an enthusiastic response.

Upcoming concerts include a performance of the F Minor Concerto by Chopin, to be performed in a chamber music setting as preferred by the composer, with the string quintet parts arranged by Coop.

At the Toronto conference, we will have the opportunity to witness several aspects of Coop's diversity, as she follows her performance of Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto with conducting the collegiate master class on Monday morning.

Andrew Kwan, Coop's manager has shared the following thoughts:

"Performance is very much like the art of pedagogy. Both activities require a fundamental need for communication and an open exchange of artistic ideas. I know that Jane shares in this ideology and much of her career's success is attributed to her unique ability to communicate as a musician and as a teacher. Whether it be from the stage to an audience or in a studio to her students, Jane's artistry enriches those with whom she comes in contact and through this amazing art form called music, allows us to enjoy in the creative process and environment. Through Jane's performance and workshop, we are honored to be involved in the 2007 MTNA Convention and wish all the participants and registrants a successful and inspirational conference."

Janet Lopinski is on the faculty at The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. She served as chief examiner, theoretical subjects for RCM examinations and has performed as a soloist and chamber musician throughout North America.