Barrie Cooper is Concertmaster of the Memphis Symphony. She started violin studies at four with John Kendall at the Suzuki program of Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. She also served as Kendall’s assistant, traveling across the US and Japan to workshops and conferences. Barrie studied viola (because none of her friends would) in order to join the Più Mosso Quartet, which gave numerous concerts in the Midwest and East Coast. For two years, she was Principal Viola in the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra. After attending Ithaca College, Barrie graduated from Peabody Conservatory, where she won the Marbury Violin Competition and the Josef Kasper Prize for excellence in violin performance. Barrie has spent the last 20 summers as Principal Second Violin at the American Institute of Musical Studies orchestra in Graz, Austria. A die-hard St. Louis Cardinals fan, she shares her home with two beautiful dogs and wonderful cats.
