Jonathan Cooper
- September 7, 2026
- 76 years
About Jonathan Cooper
Jonathan Cooper, 76, American luthier.
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60 Seconds Life Story
Jonathan Gelula Cooper was a distinguished American musician and luthier renowned for his exceptional
Jonathan Cooper
d. 2026
60 Seconds: Jonathan Cooper's Life Story
A look at the life and career of American luthier Jonathan Cooper, who crafted over 500 violins.
Transcript
Jonathan Gelula Cooper was a distinguished American musician and luthier renowned for his exceptional handcrafted violins. Born in Boston in 1950, he spent his youth in New Jersey where he taught himself guitar and played in local bands. Seeking to master his craft, he moved to New Hampshire in 1971 and eventually studied with Gregg Alf in Cremona, Italy. Over his long career, Cooper meticulously built and crafted more than 500 violins. His exquisite instruments gained the admiration of legendary musicians, including Mark O'Connor, Alison Krauss, and Michael Doucet. Operating his shop, Acoustic Artisans, in Portland, Maine, he became a fixture in the string community. Jonathan Cooper passed away in Scarborough, Maine, on September 7, 2026, at the age of 76.
Play the illustrated life story above, or read the full biography on this page.
Visual credits: Own work (CC BY 3.0) · Flickr: Acoustic guitar w/ decorative pick guard (CC BY-SA 2.0) · Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Kanenori / Pixabay (Pixabay Content License) · sothebys.com (Public domain) · Own work (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Internet Archive identifier: dr_dpartement-de-maine--loire-imp-ad-mertens-paris-bruxelles-14304055 https://archive.org/download/dr_dpartement-de-maine--loire-imp-ad-mertens-paris-bruxelles-14304055/14304055.jpg (Public domain)
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Full Biography
|Jonathan Gelula Cooper (May 17, 1950 – September 7, 2026) was an American musician and luthier, known for his handcrafted violins.
Early life and career
Jonathan Gelula Cooper was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 17, 1950, the son of Daniel Cooper, a worker at Bell Labs, and Bette Gelula, an artist, he moved with his family as a child to Morristown, New Jersey. He taught himself guitar, and played in bands in New Jersey. He attended an experimental program at Nasson College, and he moved to Franconia, New Hampshire, in 1971. He attended a summer course at the University of New Hampshire in 1976.
He studied with Gregg Alf for three years in Cremona. As a luthier, he built and crafted over 500 violins. His violins were admired by fiddle players Mark O'Connor, Alison Krauss and Michael Doucet. According to Portland Press Herald, he owned Acoustic Artisans, a shop in Portland, Maine.
Personal life and death
Cooper was married twice. He was first married to Leanne Daniels, a marriage that ended in divorce. He then married Liz Bieber. His second marriage lasted until his death in 2026.
Cooper died in Scarborough, Maine, on September 7, 2026, at the age of 76.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Cooper_(luthier)
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- September 26, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
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