His works ranged from adaptations of folk songs and scores for film and theatre to compositions of symphonic, instrumental, chamber and choral music.

He produced two symphonies and two symphonic poems, the most well known of which was the opera "Firebird" (Pasarea Măiastră), based on a popular legend.

Coca, violinist, conductor and composer, was born on 3 April 1893 (old style) in Cureșnița, Soroca District.

From the early childhood, he was taught to play violin with his father, Costache Coca, a well-known musician (lăutar) from Soroca.

He took the lessons of violin from I. Finkel (1924–1926) and of composition form Gheorghi Iaţentkovski (1932) at Unirea Conservatoire in Chișinău.