Gloria Coates

Short bio Gloria Coates

Birthday: 1938 in Wausau, WI

Active: 1950s - 2010s

Genre: Classical,Avant-Garde

Period: Contemporary

Full biography Gloria Coates

Gloria Coates is an American composer known for her innovative and avant-garde style of music. She was born in Wausau, Wisconsin in 1938 and has been living in Munich, Germany since 1969.

Coates has composed many symphonies, operas, chamber pieces, and vocal works throughout her career. In 1965, she won a BMI Student Composer Award, and her music has been performed by numerous orchestras and ensembles, including the London Philharmonic, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra.

One of Coates' distinctive compositional techniques is the use of "micropolyphony," which involves layering individual musical lines on top of each other to create a dense and complex texture. She also incorporates extended techniques, such as playing strings with mallets or using unconventional playing techniques on winds and brass.

Coates' music often draws inspiration from a wide range of sources including literature, nature, and spirituality. Many of her compositions are named after astronomical concepts, such as "Beyond the Spheres" and "Solar Flares."

Throughout her career, Coates has been recognized for her contributions to contemporary classical music. In 1987, she was awarded the Hessian Cultural Prize for Music, and in 2003, she received the Berlin Art Prize. Her music continues to be performed and recorded by musicians around the world.

In conclusion, Gloria Coates is an innovative composer who has made significant contributions to contemporary classical music. Her use of micropolyphony and unconventional playing techniques has helped to redefine the possibilities of orchestral music, and her compositions continue to inspire and challenge audiences today.

Compositions featuring Gloria Coates

#	Name	Duration	Genre	Year
1	Perchance to Dream, for bowed-vibraphone & harp	18:28 min	Chamber Music	2014
2	Piano Quintet	22:35 min	Chamber Music	2013
3	The Silver Eyed Soul, for double bass & piano	8:03 min	Chamber Music	2008
4	String Quartet No. 9	25:49 min	Chamber Music	2007
5	Symphony No. 15 ("Homage to Mozart")	22:26 min	Symphony	2004
6	Symphony No. 14 ("Symphony in Microtones")	22:35 min	Symphony	2001
7	String Quartet No. 8	14:39 min	Chamber Music	2001
8	String Quartet No. 7 for string quartet & organ ("Angels")	15:14 min	Chamber Music	2000
9	Sonata for solo violin	13:03 min	Chamber Music	2000
10	String Quartet No. 6	22:11 min	Chamber Music	1999
11	Lyric Suite, 'Split the Lark - and you'll find the Music', for piano trio	19:50 min	Chamber Music	1996
12	Time Frozen, for chamber orchestra	22:35 min	Orchestral	1995
13	Symphony No. 9 ("The Quinces Quandry","Homage to Van Gogh") (2 versions)	23:24 min	Symphony	1992
14	Symphony No. 8 ("Indian Sounds"), version for voices & chamber orchestra	27:42 min	Symphony	1991
15	Symphony No. 7 ("Dedicated to those who brought down the Wall in PEACE")	26:20 min	Symphony	1990
16	String Quartet No. 5	31:13 min	Chamber Music	1989
17	Symphony No. 10 ("Drones of Druids on Celtic Ruins")	36:45 min	Symphony	1989
18	Wir Tönen Allein, for soprano & chamber orchestra	8:10 min	Vocal Music	1989
19	Cette Blanche Agonie, for soprano & chamber orchestra	9:18 min	Vocal Music	1988
20	Reaching for the Moon, for flute	4:30 min	Chamber Music	1987
21	Symphony No. 2 ("Illuminato in Tenebris", "Music in Abstract Lines")	15:40 min	Symphony	1987
22	Transitions, for chamber orchestra	20:45 min	Orchestral	1984
23	Symphony No. 4 ("Chiaroscuro")	26:55 min	Symphony	1984
24	Fragment from Leonardo's Notebooks "Anima della Terra" for 4 soloists & orchestra	8:40 min	Vocal Music	1976
25	Fragment from Leonardo's Notebooks ("Fonte di Rimini"), for voices & orchestra	11:06 min	Vocal Music	1976
26	String Quartet No. 3	14:36 min	Chamber Music	1975
27	Holographic Universe, for violin & orchestra	20:38 min	Concerto	1975
28	Symphony No. 1 ("Music on Open Strings")	16:19 min	Symphony	1973
29	The Force for Peace in War, cantata for soprano & chamber orchestra	19:49 min	Vocal Music	1973
30	Cantata da Requiem ("'WW II Poems for Peace"), for soprano & chamber orchestra	15:53 min	Vocal Music	1972
31	Where the Eagle Flies, for piano	13:20 min	Keyboard	1971
32	String Quartet No. 1	5:28 min	Chamber Music	1966
33	Among the Asteroids, for string quartet	12:43 min	Chamber Music	1962
34	Verwelkte Bücher, for voice & piano	2:38 min	Vocal Music	-
35	String Quartet No. 2	6:15 min	Chamber Music	-
36	Berceuse for cello	2:46 min	Chamber Music	-
37	Komplementär, for voice & piano	1:49 min	Vocal Music	-
38	Lunar Loops, for 2 guitars	12:14 min	Chamber Music	-
39	Phantom, for flute, cello & piano	5:26 min	Chamber Music	-
40	Piano Sonata No. 1 ("Tones in Overtones")	12:55 min	Keyboard	-
41	Songs on Poems by Emily Dickinson, for voice & piano	28:20 min	Vocal Music	-
42	String Quartet No. 4	12:48 min	Chamber Music	-

Albums featuring Gloria Coates

#	Name album	Year	Music label
1	Gloria Coates, Kreutzer Quartet • Roderick Chadwick, CalArts Orchestra • Susan Allen (5) – Piano Quintet • Symphony No. 10(CD, Album)	2018	Naxos
2	At Midnight(CD, Album)	2013	Tzadik
3	Gloria Coates, Kreutzer Quartet – String Quartets 1-9(3×CD, Compilation, Box Set, )	2012	Naxos
4	Gloria Coates • Kreutzer Quartet • Peter Sheppard Skærved • Neil Heyde • Roderick Chadwick – String Quartet No. 9 • Sonata For Violin Solo • Lyric Suite For Piano Trio	2010	Naxos
5	Gloria Coates - Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Boder · Talisker Players, Ars Nova Nuremberg, Heider – Symphony No. 15 • Cantata Da Requiem • Transitions	2007	Naxos
6	Gloria Coates, Siegerland Orchestra, Rotter, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Poppen, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Henzold – Symphonies Nos. 1, 7 And 14(CD, Album)	2006	Naxos
7	Gloria Coates, Kreutzer Quartet – String Quartets Nos. 2, 3, 4, 7 And 8	2003	Naxos
8	Gloria Coates - Kreutzer Quartet – String Quartets Nos. 1, 5 And 6	2002	Naxos
9	Indian Sounds (Symphony No. 8), Cette Blanche Agonie, The Force For Peace In War, Wir Tönen Allein, Fonte Di Rimini(CD, Album)	2002	New World Records
10	Symphony No 2 · Anima Della Terra · Time Frozen · Homage To Van Gogh(CD, Album, Stereo)	1998	cpo
11	Gloria Coates, Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Hauschild, Schmöhe, Howarth – Symphonies 1, 4 & 7(CD, Album)	1996	cpo
12	Kronos Quartet, Franz Schubert Quartett, Wilanow Quartet - Gloria Coates, Hartmut Pascher, Thomas Pernes, Bronisław Przybylski, Zbigniew Bargielski – Untitled(CD, Compilation)	1994	Pro Viva
13	Music On Open Strings / String Quartets Nos. 1, 2 & 4(LP, Album)	1985	Pro Viva

Videos featuring Gloria Coates

Gloria Coates: Among the Asteroids (1962)

Gloria Coates (*1938): Among the Asteroids, for string quartet (1962).

The Kreutzer Quartet.

http://www.tzadik.com/

Cover image: rock texture.

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The music published in our channel is exclusively dedicated to divulgation purposes and not commercial.

Gloria Coates - Symphony No. 1 "Music on Open Strings" (UK Première)

00:00 I. Theme and Transformation

06:50 II. Scherzo

09:40 III. Scordatura

15:03 IV. Refracted Mirror Canon for 14 Lines

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ilan Volkov

https://5against4.com/2023/02/20/gloria-coates-symphony-no-1-music-on-open-st

Gloria Coates - Symphony No. 7 (UK Première)

0:00 Whirligig of Time

8:32 Glass of Time

14:54 Corridors of Time

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ilan Volkov

https://5against4.com/2023/03/14/gloria-coates-symphony-no-7-uk-premiere/

Coates SY14 2002 Poppen MunichChamberOrch

Coates: Piano Quintet & Symphony No. 10

℗ 2018 Naxos

Released on: 2018-06-08

Conductor: Susan Allen

Orchestra: CalA

Symphony No. 10 "Drones of Druids on Celtic Ruins": I. Ages Coil Within

Provided to YouTube by NAXOS of America

Symphony No. 10 "Drones of Druids on Celtic Ruins": I. Ages Coil Within · CalArts Orchestra

Coates: Piano Quintet & Symphony No. 10

℗ 2018 Naxos

Released on: 2018-06-08

Conductor: Susan Allen

Orchestra: CalA

Ladies First Interview-Gloria Coates.mov

Ladies First Interview: Gloria Coates, Composer

Ladies First 05.18.12 Bohemian National Hall at The Czech Center NYC

Gloria Coates: Beyond the Spheres

Despite having a career that has spanned five decades, two continents, and 15 symphonies, Gloria Coates remains a largely unknown quantity on these shores after years of success in Europe. It would seem, however, that the Atlantic tides are turning.