American composer Gloria Coates (b. 1938) began composing at an early age, winning a national composition contest at the age of fourteen. She studied at Louisiana State University and at Columbia University in New York, earning a number of degrees, including a Master of Music in Composition with post graduate studies.
While maintaining a residence in the United States, Gloria Coates has lived in Europe since 1969, devoting her time primarily to composition. She organized the German-American Music Series in Munich from 1971-1984 , presented the results of her experiments with multiphonic vocal technique at the Darmstadt Summer Course for New Music in 1972, and founded the music program for the University of Wisconsin's Semester Abroad in 1975. She has lectured on American music, written musicological articles, and wrote and broadcast radio programs on American music for the German radio.