René Koering studied piano and oboe in Strasbourg. Following Pierre Boulez’s advice, he went to Darmstadt in 1960 to work with Bruno Maderna, and from 1962 to 1969 he devoted himself exclusively to composition. Today, his compositional output includes four operas, three string quartets, a violin concerto and over fifteen orchestral works.
A former producer for the radio station France Musiques, Koering acted as its general manager from 1981 to 1985, and later became its director of external affairs. In 1985, he founded the Radio France and Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon Festival, and was later appointed general director of both the Orchestre National de Montpellier (formerly the Orchestre Philharmonique de Montpellier Languedoc-Roussillon) and the Corum de Montpellier’s symphonic season. In 2000, he was named music director of Radio France and musical superintendent in Montpellier. His commitment to rediscovering and programming works that have been left out of the standard repertory, and concomitant enriching of French musical heritage, was recognized in September of 2002 with the Grand Prix - Prix Antoine Livio.