Kenton Coe and Stephen Hamilton
Sunday, Jan. 28, organist Stephen Hamilton presents a concert as a tribute to the late American composer and native Tennessean Kenton Coe, who died in 2022. It will be held at 4 p.m. at Munsey Memorial Methodist Church in Johnson City, Tennessee.
The concert features a retrospective of Coe’s organ music as well as works by Tournemire, Bach and Dupre.
Coe, mentored by Paul Hindemith and Quincy Porter, graduated from Yale University and subsequently studied with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Sponsored by Aaron Copland, Coe received two fellowships from the MacDowell Colony leading to the premiere of his opera “South” (1965) by the Opera of Marseilles. In 1972 the Paris Opera mounted a new production launched with a Gala attended by President Pompidou.
In addition to numerous songs, choral, chamber and orchestral works, his third opera “Rachel” was commissioned by the Tennessee Arts Commission. He composed scores for all of Ross Spears’ films, including the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Agee.” His popular set of organ chorale preludes is published by MorningStar. The Piano Sonata had its American premiere at the Washington D.C. National Gallery of Art by pianist Kenneth Huber.
Coe’s “Fantasy for Organ” was commissioned by Hamilton and the subject of his DMA dissertation at the Manhattan School of Music. A lengthy article illuminating this work appeared in “The American Organist” June 1966. The compact disc “Great Organs of New York” includes the “Fantasy” recorded at The Church of the Holy Trinity where Hamilton was Minister of Music for 20 years.
The Festival du Comminges premiere of Concerto for Organ, Strings and Percussion featured Hamilton as soloist with the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse. New York City performances followed at The Church of the Holy Trinity and Trinity Church, Wall Street.
Ironically Hamilton and Coe met in Virginia through a coincidental introduction by celebrated French organist Marie-Claire Alain.
