Biography

Conductor-teacher Kole Butler serves as the choir director at the First Baptist Church of Radford (VA) and is on the music faculty of the Virginia Governor’s School for Visual and Performing Arts. Additionally, he 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 Young Conductors, a podcast designed to inspire, educate, and encourage aspiring conductor-teachers.

Butler holds a master’s degree in choral conducting and music education from Radford University, where he studied under Dr. Meredith Y. 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 earned a B.M. in Voice Performance from West Virginia University, where he studied conducting with Dr. Kym Scott and voice with Laura Knoop Very.

Butler has been selected to participate in 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.