Dr. P. Blake Cooper; a proud native of Louisville, Kentucky; joined the California State University, Northridge faculty in the fall of 2012 and has since worked to provide the tuba students of CSUN with new opportunities and experiences. Dr. Cooper is also the recently appointed Principal Tubist of the New West Symphony Orchestra of the Greater Los Angeles area and has also had the honor of performing as guest tubist with orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony, San Bernardino Symphony, San Luis Obispo Symphony, Downey Symphony among many others. Blake also served for one season as Principal Tubist of the American Youth Symphony of Los Angeles conducted my Maestro Alex Tregar.

Since 2010 Blake has taught as the Brass Faculty Head and Wind Ensemble Director for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s premier El Sistema-inspired teaching site, Youth Orchestra LA, a partnership between the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Heart of Los Angeles Youth, known locally as YOLA @ HOLA. Also housed on the grounds of YOLA @ HOLA is the Longy School of Music of Bard College’s Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program where Dr. Cooper has the pleasure of working with aspiring El Sistemia teachers as their Mentor Teacher. Dr. Cooper also serves Bard College as a Field Supervisor for the MAT program where he enters the public school to observe, coach and evaluate MAT students in the classroom as they work toward their single-subject K-12 teacher credentialing in music.

Dr. Cooper can also be heard regularly on stage as a recitalist, guest soloist and lecturer throughout the United States. Recent engagements include a CSUN Faculty Concerto performance of the Bruce Broughton Tuba Concerto with the CSUN Wind Ensemble under the direction of Dr. Larry Stoffel, solo recitals at the 2013 Southwest Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference in Redland, CA; 2011 Southwest Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference in Flagstaff, AZ; the 2009 South Central Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference in Corpus Christi, TX; the 2012, 2007 and 2003 Tuba Christmas’ of Tryon, NC and a lecture recital covering the compositional catalog of virtuoso tubist and composer, Roland Szentpali. He can also be heard all over Southern California in various musical groups ranging a wide array of musical styles, anything from Bavarian Polka to Progressive Modern Jazz Ensembles. Blake is also an emerging recording artist in the Los Angeles recording scene and has worked with such notable musicians as David Newman, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer, Bruce Broughton and Tom Holkenborg and well as collaborations with classical artist such as Gustavo Dudamel, Issac Perlman, Sir Simon Rattle and many more.

Blake has been published in the International Tuba Euphonium Association Journal where has presented “From the Back Row,” an on going column featuring interviews with professional orchestral tubists from across the globe.

Dr. Cooper holds a Bachelor degree from the University of Kentucky in Music Education with emphases in both jazz bass and tuba performance, a Master of Music degree in Tuba Performance from the University of Texas at Austin where he served for two years as the Graduate Teaching Assistant in applied Tuba and Euphonium. Blake then moved west to attend the University of Southern California where he earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in Tuba Performance with emphases in music education, jazz bass and instrumental conducting. Dr. Cooper is a member of the International Tuba Euphonium Association, American Federation of Musicians-Local 47, Recording Musicians Association of LA, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and Pi Kappa Lambda Music Honor Society.