Person DS/UK/573 Cooper; Lindsay (3 March 1951 - 18 September 2013); Musician, Composer, Political activist Cooper Lindsay 3 March 1951 - 18 September 2013 Musician, Composer, Political activist

Lindsay Cooper (3 March 1951 – 18 September 2013) was a British bassoonist, oboist, composer and political activist, born in Hornsey, London. She is best known for her work with the avant-garde rock group Henry Cow, and for her wider contributions to experimental, improvised and progressive music. Cooper began studying piano at the age of 11 before specialising in bassoon. Between 1965 and 1968 she studied at Dartington College of Arts and the Royal College of Music and performed with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. A period spent in New York in the late 1960s led to her involvement in non-classical musical practices and marked a shift away from a conventional classical career. On returning to the United Kingdom, Cooper joined the progressive group Comus (1971–1972) and became associated with the Canterbury scene. In 1973 she joined Henry Cow, recording on Unrest (1974) and touring in Europe. After a brief departure, she rejoined the group in 1975 and remained until its dissolution in 1978. From 1977 she was one of the group’s principal composers, contributing substantially to studio album Western Culture (1978). During this period, she also undertook session and collaborative work with a range of musicians and ensembles. In 1977 Cooper co-founded the Feminist Improvising Group with Sally Potter, Maggie Nichols, Georgie Born and Irène Schweizer. The ensemble performed internationally and was associated with feminist and improvisatory performance practices. Following the disbanding of Henry Cow, Cooper pursued a career as a composer and performer. Her first solo album, Rags (1980), combined composed and improvised material with political themes. In 1982 she established the Lindsay Cooper Film Music Orchestra, composing and performing scores for film and television, including The Gold Diggers (1983), for which she also co-wrote the screenplay with Sally Potter and Rose English. She continued her collaboration with Chris Cutler in the group News from Babel, composing the music for Work Resumed on the Tower (1984) and Letters Home (1986). Her song cycle Oh Moscow, created with Sally Potter, premiered at the Zurich Jazz Festival in 1987 and was subsequently performed internationally; it was recorded in 1989 and released in 1991. During the late 1980s and early 1990s she undertook further international work, including collaborations with Robyn Archer in Australia, and composed works for ensembles including the Bologna Opera House Orchestra and the Rova Saxophone Quartet. She also composed for dance, theatre and concert performance, and released further recordings including The Gold Diggers (1983) and Music for Other Occasions (1986). Cooper was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the late 1970s but did not make this public until 1998, when the progression of the illness led to her retirement from performance and composition. She died in London on 18 September 2013. Her work continues to be performed, and she is regarded as a significant figure in experimental and improvised music. 1951: Born in Hornsey, North London. 1965–1968: Studied classical music and bassoon at Dartington College of Arts (with Helen Glatz) and the Royal College of Music. 1971–1972: Joined progressive rock band ‘Comus’. 1973–1974: Joined ‘Henry Cow’; recorded on their second album ‘Unrest’ and toured Europe supporting ‘Captain Beefheart’. 1975: Rejoined ‘Henry Cow’ until their split in 1978. 1977: Became a principal composer for ‘Henry Cow’, contributing several works including half of their final album ‘Western Culture’ (1978). 1977: Co-founded the ‘Feminist Improvising Group’ with Sally Potter, Maggie Nichols, Georgie Born and Irène Schweizer. 1980: Recorded first solo album ‘Rags’ with Chris Cutler, Fred Frith, Georgie Born, Phil Minton and Sally Potter. 1982: Formed ‘The Lindsay Cooper Film Music Orchestra’, composing and performing film/TV scores. 1983: Co-wrote the script for ‘The Gold Diggers’ with director Sally Potter and assistant Rose English; also composed and recorded the score. 1983: Collaborated with Chris Cutler to form avant-rock group ‘News from Babel’. 1984: Composed music for ‘News from Babel’ album ‘Work Resumed on the Tower’. 1986: Composed music for ‘News from Babel’ album ‘Letters Home’. 1987: Co-wrote song cycle ‘Oh Moscow’ with Sally Potter; premiered at the Zurich Jazz Festival and later performed in Europe, North America and Moscow. 1989: Recorded ‘Oh Moscow’ (with Sally Potter, Phil Minton, Hugh Hopper, Marilyn Mazur, Alfred Harth, Elvira Plenar) at the 7th Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, Quebec. 1990: Lived in Australia; collaborated with Robyn Archer, arranging and composing music for ‘Cafe Fledermaus’ and ‘Sahara Dust’. 1991: Released ‘Oh Moscow’ on CD. 1991: Performed in John Wolf Brennan’s ‘SinFONietta’ at the Lucerne Festival, Switzerland. 1991: Released two collections of contemporary dance pieces: ‘Schrödinger’s Cat’ and ‘An Angel on the Bridge’. 1992: Performed her ‘Concerto for Sopranino Saxophone and Strings’ at the British Conservatory, London (commissioned by the European Women’s Orchestra). 1992: Wrote and performed ‘Songs for Bassoon and Orchestra’ with the ‘Bologna Opera House Orchestra’ in Italy. 1992: Composed ‘Face in a Crowd’ and ‘Can of Worms’ for the San Francisco–based ‘Rova Saxophone Quartet’. 1993: Released ‘Sahara Dust’ on CD, featuring Phil Minton. 1997: Resurgence Records released Pia Mater, a piece recorded by Lindsay Cooper and Charles Gray 2013: Died in London. Bryony Lavery (collaborator; personal relationship) Chris Cutler (collaborator) Dagmar Krause (collaborator) David Thomas (collaborator) Frankie Armstrong (collaborator) Fred Frith (collaborator) Georgie Born (collaborator) Irène Schweizer (collaborator) Maggie Nicols (collaborator; co-founder of Feminist Improvising Group) Mike Westbrook (collaborator) Phil Minton (collaborator) Robyn Archer (collaborator; personal relationship) Rose English (collaborator) Ruby Rich (collaborator; personal relationship) Sally Potter (collaborator; personal relationship) Zeena Parkins (collaborator) Calyx - The Canterbury Music Website https://www.calyx-canterbury.fr/mus/cooper_lindsay.html [accessed 13 April 2026] 'Lindsay Cooper: Bassoonist with Henry Cow who who went on to write film music', Lindsay Cooper's Obituary, written by Pierre Perrone for the Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/lindsay-cooper-bassoonist-with-henry-cow-who-who-went-on-to-write-film-music-8859766.html [accessed 13 April 2026] 'The Road is Wider Than Long - Travels with MS' draft by Lindsay Cooper International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition - ICA 2004 ISBN 2-9521932-2-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 Yes csalem 13/04/2026 csalem 13/04/2026 60bd6faf-748c-4a59-8956-939cfae4417d