With a varied and comprehensive list of musical credits including Hans Zimmer, Nigel Kennedy, U2, MF Doom, Slum Village, The Brand-New Heavies, Wet Wet Wet, Omar, Lisa Stansfield and Joss Stone, George Cooper has at a young age already established himself as one of the UK’s most formidable talents.

In this masterclass George will talk about his varied career to date, including composing film music for Hans Zimmer in Los Angeles, orchestrating Duke Ellington for Nigel Kennedy and the London Sinfonia, his experiences touring the UK and Europe with various outfits and of course founding the Bristol supergroup The Jazz Defenders. He will discuss his angles on composing and improvising, his approach to production and his experiences with maximising income within the industry through publishing, PPL, PRS and synch.

The session will open up to Q&A after George demonstrates his unique approach to composing and improvising alongside The Jazz Defenders and Kasabian drummer, Ian Matthews.

This masterclass is part of the FREE education programme of the Sidmouth International Jazz & Blues Festival 2024 - don't miss out on the 15 acts performing in Blackmore Gardens in the daytime - tickets from only £25 for the weekend or £12.50 per day!!