TJ Cole
Faculty: Music Theory
Education:
Curtis Institute of Music, Bachelor of Music in Composition, 2016 // ArtistYear Fellow, 2017 2026 Matt Marks Impact Fund Recipient, Alarm Will Sound // 2025–2027 McKnight Visiting Composer Fellow, American Composers Forum // 2022–2023 Composer-in-Residence, Louisville Orchestra Creators Corps // Two ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, including the Leo Kaplan Award // New Music USA Creator Fund, 2024 // Three Daniel W. Dietrich II Young Alumni Fund Awards, 2022 and 2026 //
Bio:
TJ Cole (they/them) is a composer, performer, producer, and educator based in Chicago. As a composer, TJ’s work blends acoustic and electronic sounds, improvisation, games, and humor, and often seeks to create spaces for play, collaboration, and community. Their music has been commissioned and performed by the Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Louisville, and New Haven Symphony Orchestras, Ensemble Connect, Intersection, Tracy Silverman, and Gabriel Cabezas, among others. TJ has taught composition, music theory, and creative music-making through the Louisville Academy of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, Interlochen Arts Academy, and other community and educational programs. As an educator, they enjoy helping students strengthen both their creative and foundational musical skills, supporting musicians of all ages in developing confidence, curiosity, and the tools to become the best version of themselves.
Favorite Musicians:
The B-52s! I grew up in Georgia listening to the Athens music scene, with many family from the area. I love how silly they are.
Quote:
I believe music education should be accessible to anyone who wants to pursue it, while never being something that is reserved for a select few or presented as the only path to a meaningful musical life. Merit’s commitment to making high-quality music education more financially accessible makes it a special place where students can develop their musical and creative skills in a supportive community, regardless of their background or circumstances.
