Credit Doby Photography / NPR

Tom Cole is an editor on NPR's Arts Desk. He develops, edits, produces, and reports on stories about art, culture, and music for NPR's news magazines Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, and All Things Considered. Cole has held these responsibilities since February 1990.

Prior to his work with the Arts Desk, Cole worked for three and a half years as an associate producer for NPR's daily classical music program Performance Today, and also for Morning Edition, where he coordinated and edited news reports and produced music programming.

From April 1979 to July 1986, Cole worked for NPR member station WAMU-FM in Washington, DC. He was the production manager for the daily operation of studios, and also served as a reporter, writing and producing music features that were broadcast locally and nationally. In addition, from October 1985 to November 1986, Cole worked for Voice of America as a producer for VOA Europe.

Since 1977, Cole has been the host and producer of a weekly three-hour program of music and interviews broadcast on public radio station WPFW-FM in Washington.

Over the course of his career, Cole has produced or collaborated on a number of public radio projects. He co-edited the Peabody Award-winning NPR documentary, "I Must Keep Fightin' : The Art of Paul Robeson." He was also an advisor, contributor, and co-editor of the Peabody Award-winning " series, The NPR 100, the top 100 songs of the 20th century.

A native of Washington, D.C., Cole has studied classical guitar at The American University and privately. He also studied comparative literature at Catholic University in Washington, DC, and at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa.

Creatively Speaking
2:59 pm
Thu June 13, 2013

Woodmere's Annual Juried Exhibition Taps Into Regional Traditions

The Woodmere Art Museum in Chestnut Hill has an enviable collection of art in the realist tradition, from the 1800s to the present. It also has a renowned annual juried show which, this year, as WRTI’s Jim Cotter reports, is dedicated to local, cutting-edge art. In Front of Strangers, I Sing: the 72nd Annual Woodmere Museum Juried Exhibition curated by Dona Nelson  and Rubens Genoff runs through September 1, 2013.

Hear more of Jim Cotter's interview with Woodmere Art Museum Director Bill Valerio.

Today in Jazz
8:00 pm
Wed June 12, 2013

Attila Zoller's Birthday

On June 13, 1927 Attila Zoller was born.  Find out more about Attila Zoller here.

Today in Jazz
8:00 pm
Tue June 11, 2013

Chick Corea's Birthday

On June 12, 1941 Chick Corea was born.  Find out more about Chick Corea here.

Creatively Speaking
8:12 am
Tue June 11, 2013

Unconventional Repertoire At Pennsylvania Ballet

Choreographer William Forsythe

Classical ballet, like its sister art form classical music, is rooted in classic, older repertoire. But as WRTI's Jim Cotter reports, the region's premiere ballet company is stepping away from conventional works for a season-ending program by three living choreographers who have their own distinctive takes on the intersection of contemporary and traditional ballet.

PA Ballet Artistic Director Roy Kaiser discusses the program for the end of its season with WRTI's Jim Cotter.

Pennsylvania Ballet’s season ending production Forsythe & Kylián runs Thursday through Sunday at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia.

Today in Jazz
8:00 pm
Mon June 10, 2013

Shelley Manne's Birthday

On June 11, 1920 Shelly Manne was born.  Find out more about Shelley Manne here.

The Philadelphia Orchestra In Concert
1:53 pm
Mon June 10, 2013

The Philadelphia Orchestra: Sibelius's Last Two Symphonies Without Interruption, Lang Lang, Rattle

Pianist Lang Lang

This Sunday from 2 to 4 pm, The Philadelphia Orchestra renews its historic connection with the great Finnish master Jean Sibelius (Stokowski led the U.S. premieres of his last three symphonies) as Simon Rattle will conduct the final two symphonies, Nos. 6 and 7, together without interruption, from a May, 2013 concert.

Read more
Creatively Speaking
6:59 am
Mon June 10, 2013

Behind The Scenes Of The International Organ Competition At Longwood Gardens

The Longwood Gardens organ console

Longwood Gardens hosts its first International Organ Competition on June 18, 19, and 22. WRTI’s Susan Lewis reports on this new initiative at the botanical garden that was once a DuPont family summer home.

Longwood Gardens' director, Paul Redman, talks with Susan Lewis about Longwood’s organ and the organ competition.

The competition features Longwood’s 10,010-pipe Aeolian organ, a panel of distinguished judges, and live performances by the world’s top young organists. The winner receives the world's largest organ competition prize: $40,000.

Creatively Speaking
6:43 am
Mon June 10, 2013

Maestro Simon Rattle: His Conducting Philosophy

This week’s WRTI Sunday radio broadcast of The Philadelphia Orchestra features Englishman Simon Rattle, music director of the Berlin Philharmonic, on the podium. WRTI's Susan Lewis has more on this much sought-after international conductor, who has a bond with the Philadelphians nurtured over the last 20 years.

Listen to Simon Rattle's conversation with Susan Lewis.

Listen to WRTI on Sunday, June 16th at 2 pm to hear Sir Simon Rattle leading The Philadelphia Orchestra in a program featuring symphonies No. 6 and 7 of  Sibelius, Norman’s Unstuck, and Beethoven’s piano concerto No. 3. Pianist Lang Lang is soloist.

Pages