Alexander Koops

Alexander Koops was born and raised in Jos, Nigeria. He holds a D.M.A. in Music Education from the University of Southern California, with minors in theory, orchestral conducting, and horn performance. He completed his B.A. degree in Music Education from Calvin College (Grand Rapids, MI) and his M.M. degree in Wind Conducting from the University of Colorado (Boulder), where he studied with Allan McMurray. He has also studied voice and opera conducting with Nicholas Laurienti, former Artistic Director of the Denver Opera Company. He is a recipient of the CMEA John Swain College-University Educator Award and the Azusa Pacific University Community Engagement Faculty Award. His publications include Composition Concepts for Band and Orchestra: Incorporating Creativity in Ensemble Settings (2020) as well as writing chapters in Composing our Future, (Oxford University Press, 2012), Oxford Handbook of Music Composition Pedagogy (2024), and The Routledge Companion to Creativities in Music Education (2023). He also was a contributor to Musicianship: Composing in Band and Orchestra published by GIA in 2013. Koops was awarded a Fulbright grant in 2012 to teach at the Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music in Riga, Latvia. 

Dr. Koops has worked in California, Colorado, and New Mexico teaching band, orchestra, and choir, conducting professionally, and performing on horn and voice. While in Colorado he worked as the assistant conductor for the Denver Opera Company and led many performances, including The Magic Flute, La Boehme, The Medium, and The Threepenny Opera. In a review of The Magic Flute, Marc Shugold of the Rocky Mountain News stated, “Koops’ conducting of the orchestra maintained a high artistic standard and a decent pace.” Jeff Bradley of the Denver Post gave a fabulous review of the Denver Opera Companies’ production of The Medium emphasizing, “A fine chamber orchestra under the firm baton of Alexander Koops.” 

Koops joined the music faculty at University of New Mexico in 2024 and is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of Instrumental Music Education. Previously he taught Azusa Pacific University from 2002-2024. He frequently conducts the Lake Avenue Chamber Symphony (Pasadena, California) and performs regularly on his horn.