 Coffin passed the preliminary examinations to enter the College of Surgeons, but decided instead to become a singer.He studied under Edith Abell from Boston and was a member of the Royal Choral Society for three years led by Joseph Barnby.In 1883, he performed as an amateur at St. George's Hall in London as Tom Gilroy in H. J. Byron's "Partners for Life" and as Vivid in "Monsieur Jacques".