John Cooper started playing violin in 2004, and gradually switched to viola around 4 years later. His musical interests at the time lead him to study electric guitar very heavily for many years. In 2008, John became a student of Elizabeth Wood of the Atlanta Opera who sparked his love of classical music. Since then, John has held principal and Co-principal positions in many orchestras and ensembles, including both the GMEA All-State and Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestras his senior year in high school, Brevard Music Center Symphonia, Georgia Philharmonic Orchestra, UGA Symphony Orchestra, and most recently, the Athens Symphony Orchestra. John is currently a student of Maggie Snyder at the University of Georgia, and is working towards a degree in Viola Performance. Outside of classical music, John is a multi-instrumentalist, and lends his hand on guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, keyboards, cello, and voice for various groups in Athens both on stage and in the studio.