Biography

Conductor-teacher Kole Butler is the choir director at the First Baptist Church of Radford (VA). He also serves on the music faculty of the Virginia Governor’s School for Visual and Performing Arts and holds an executive board position with the Virginia chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.

In addition to his teaching and leadership roles, Butler co-founded the podcast Young Conductors, a platform dedicated to inspiring, educating, and encouraging aspiring conductor-teachers.

Butler earned his master’s degree in choral conducting and music education from Radford University, studying under Dr. Meredith Bowen. While at Radford, he served as the Graduate Teaching Assistant of Choral Studies, assisting with the university’s choirs and undergraduate choral music education courses. During his graduate lecture recital, he presented his research on teaching and programming music through a socially conscious lens, focusing on inclusive and culturally relevant practices in the choral classroom. He completed his B.M. in Voice Performance at West Virginia University, where he studied conducting with Dr. Kym Scott and voice with Laura Knoop Very.

Butler has been selected to participate in various masterclasses with renowned conductors including Drs. Sandra Snow, Daniel Bara, Jennifer Sengin, Amanda Quist, and Janet Galván, among others.

He maintains an active schedule as a guest clinician, adjudicator, and presenter, collaborating with high schools and university student chapters across the region.