Kenton Coe studied with Paul Hindemith and Nadia Boulanger. He is the first American to have an opera (South, from the play by Julien Green) produced by the Paris Opera. His opera Rachel was produced in Nashville and Knoxville by the Knoxville Opera. His opera Le Grand Siècle (on a text of Ionesco) was produced by the Opera of Nantes. Kenton Coe writes in almost every format: orchestral, choral, and chamber music. He has written the scores for all the Ross Spears documentaries, including Agee which was nominated for an Academy Award. He wrote the score for Universal's Birds In Peru starring Jean Seberg and directed by Romain Gary. He has been performed by major symphony orchestras, including the Chicago and Baton Rouge Symphonies. His suite for jazz trio and symphony Purcellular was commissioned by the City of London-Westminster for the Purcell Tercentenary. After living a number of years in Paris and New York, he now resides in his native Tennessee.