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The English mezzo-soprabo, Hannah Cooke, gre up in a household of musicians - her mother a singer and music teacher and her father a choral conductor. She has been surrounded by singing and music-making all her life. Her training began at the age of 3 when she took up the violin, and throughout childhood she enjoyed singing in various choirs, close harmony ensembles and as a soloist. She went on to study Modern and Medieval Languages (German and Russian) at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge (Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern and Medieval Languages (German & Russian): 2002-2006), where she was also awarded a three-year choral scholarship singing in the chapel choir under the direction of Dr Geoffrey Webber.
Hannah Cooke has a been a self-employed professional singer (alto) since September 2006. She enjoys an eclectic career as a singer in repertoire ranging from the very old to the contemporary with a particular focus on ensemble and consort singing. She is now much in demand as an ensemble singer and soloist throughout the UK and Europe. A core member of Tenebrae (Director: Nigel Short), she has sung with the group since 2014 on award-winning recordings and in concerts across the globe. Particular highlights include performances of Joby Talbot's Path of Miracles, written for Tenebrae and scored for 17 solo voices, around the UK, Europe, the USA and Australia. She also appeared with Tenebrae at the BBC Proms in 2019, and as a soloist in Arvo Pärt's Passio at the 2018 Holy Week Festival at St John’s Smith Square. Recordings with Tenebrae include the BBC Music Magazine Award-winning Brahms & Bruckner motets (Signum, 2015), and Arnold Schoenberg’s ‘Friede Auf Erden’ (Signum 2018) amongst many others.
Hannah Cooke is also a core member of ORA singers, where she is able to explore a vast wealth of newly commissioned works in line with the group’s vision to commission and record 100 new works within 10 years. Alongside performances with the full group, she has recorded various solo voices works for ORA on the Harmonia Mundi label, including in 2019 a selection of Renaissance works due to be released in 2020 alongside the world premiere recording of a new 40-part motet by Sir James MacMillan, commissioned by ORA as a partner work to Thomas Tallis’ Spem in Alium.
Other regular consort work includes The Marian Consort (Director: Rory McCleery), with whom Hannah Cooke recorded the solo-voices ‘Pater Peccavi: Music of Lamentation from Renaissance Portugal’ (Delphian, 2018), ‘In Sorrow’s Footsteps’ featuring new a newly-commissioned setting of the Stabat Mater by Gabriel Jackson (Delphian 2018) and ‘Singing in Secret: Clandestine Catholic Music by William Byrd’ (Delphian 2020). Hannah also sings regularly at the Southwell Music Festival, with The Tallis Scholars (Director: Peter Phillips), Eric Whitacre Singers, Polyphony (Director: Stephen Layton), Alamire, BBC Singers (Director: Sofi Jeannin) and as a session singer with London Voices (Director: Terry Edwards) and RSVP Voices.
Alongside regular concert work, Hannah Cooke is committed to broadening the reach of classical music, and has been particularly proud recently to have been part of a pilot scheme with Tenebrae in 2019 to develop a programme of working alongside music therapists in dementia settings. Also with ORA singers, she has been part of various schemes to support and develop young composers. In early 2020, Hannah became involved with Koor, a new free app designed to help choral singers support their practice at home, as well as aiming to support composers and publishers in efforts to make new music more accessible to choirs by providing tools to support their learning.
Hannah Cooke has also worked as Artist Manager at Intermusica Artists' Management (July 2011-December 2012); Classical Coordinator (January-September 2013) & Classical Music Programmer (September 2013-October 2015) at Kings Place Music Foundation in London. |
