Born in Wausau, Wisconsin, Gloria Coates began composing at
an early age, winning a national composition contest at the age of twelve.
After earning a Masters of Music degree in composition she continued
postgraduate studies in composition at Columbia University. She has been the
recipient of many awards, commissions and distinctions. The music of Gloria
Coates has been performed by leading soloists and ensembles, winning her an
unrivalled reputation. Music on Open Strings (Symphony No.1), written in
1973, was first performed at the Warsaw Autumn of 1978 and proved to be the
most widely discussed work in the Festival; her music has subsequently been
heard at the Dresden Festival, New Music America 1989, Musica Viva Munich, the
Passau International Festival, the Dartington Festival in England, the
Montepulciano Festival Italy, the New York Microtonal Festival and Aspeckte
Salzburg.
While maintaining a residence in the United States, Gloria
Coates has lived since 1969 in Europe, where she has been an active champion of
American music. She has lectured, written musicological articles, produced and
broadcast radio programmes, and from 1971 to 1984 was responsible for a concert
series of German-American music in Munich subsidised by the Munich Ministry of
Culture and the Alice Ditson Fund of Columbia University. Her work includes
compositions for orchestra, with thirteen symphonies, chamber music which
includes seven string quartets, solo, vocal and choral music and electronic
works, as well as music for the theatre. Recent recordings have brought her
music to the attention of an even wider audience.