
Bruce Coppock Obituary, Bruce Coppock has passed away unexpectedly
- by Alex Danvers
Bruce Coppock Obituary, Death – Bruce Coppock, who had been battling illness for the past 16 years, has passed away at the age of 71. He was the former president and managing director of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Kyu-Young Kim, the artistic director of the SPCO, reflected on him by saying, “He was a force of nature.” “He had such a need for knowledge, in addition to an extraordinary brain, and a natural curiosity.” Kim cherished the memory of Coppock’s ability to motivate others with his creative spirit and impressive public speaking skills. “He just had a large heart,” Kim remarked. “He was devoted to his family, and he had a deep appreciation for music and the orchestra. In addition to this, he was an excellent relationship builder, both with the board and with the community as well as with people all over the field. He was held in such high esteem by everyone.
During his first tenure as president of the SPCO, which spanned from 1999 to 2008, Coppock was responsible for getting the organization out of a significant amount of debt while also boosting attendance, subscriptions, and the endowment of the orchestra. In addition to that, he was a member of the programming team during the time that the orchestra transitioned away from having a single music director in charge of everything and toward having a model of rotating artistic partners. Kim stated that Bruce was the one who “truly handled that idea,” who got everyone on board with it, and who got the community enthused about it. “And ever since then, we’ve been working off of that model.
” Kim asserts that Coppock had a deep appreciation for contemporary composers and music. “He had a lot of vision for the future. According to Kim, “I believe he believed that it was necessary for the SPCO to have a really distinctive repertory.” After receiving a diagnosis of cancer of the bile duct, Coppock was forced to step down from his position. However, he returned to the orchestra from 2013 to 2016 as it was making its way back from a lockout. During this second period, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra became a member of the Arts Partnership, along with the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, the Schubert Club, and the Minnesota Opera.
Through this partnership, they were able to raise a total of $83.8 million and build a cutting-edge concert hall, which is where the SPCO now gives its performances.
Bruce Coppock Obituary, Death – Bruce Coppock, who had been battling illness for the past 16 years, has passed away at the age of 71. He was the former president and managing director of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Kyu-Young Kim, the artistic director of the SPCO, reflected on him by saying, “He was a…