John Cooney studied composition at the Royal College of Music and Guildhall School of Music & Drama, with Simon Bainbridge, George Benjamin and Robert Saxton, followed by a period of private study with Magnus Lindberg.
His music has been performed by a wide array of orchestras, ensembles and soloists, including BBC National Orchestra of Wales, London Sinfonietta, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Nash Ensemble, Allegri Quartet, Delta Saxophone Quartet, CHROMA, Psappha, Simon Desbruslais, Lisa Nelsen, Gwenllian Llyr, Melinda Maxwell & Graham Caskie. His work has featured in the Aldeburgh, Huddersfield, Spitalfields and Vale of Glamorgan festivals, and has been recorded for NMC.
John’s work has received several awards, most notably the Royal Philharmonic Society Composition Prize, as well as awards from the Leverhulme Trust, PRS, British Council and Arts Council. He has been Composer in Association with the Allegri Quartet, Composer in Residence with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and is an Honorary Associate of the Academy.
John is also well known as a teacher of composition and currently teaches at Junior Academy and the Yehudi Menuhin School. He has been Visiting Lecturer in Composition at Royal Holloway, University of London and Associate Composition Lecturer at Cardiff University.