bio

A member of the jazz septet Extensions, The Freddy Pink Band, and Brass Band Northwest, Seattle area musician Ron Cole is an accomplished trumpeter who also performs on the Electronic Valve Instrument (EVI).

Throughout his musical career, Ron has performed in a variety of contexts in the Pacific Northwest. This includes numerous performances with leading artists and ensembles, ranging from Lenny Williams, Natalie Cole, Ray Charles, Don Lanphere and Deniece Williams, to the Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Cascade Symphony Orchestra, and the Bellevue Philharmonic Orchestra. He also served as Director of Instrumental Music at Olympic College in Bremerton, Washington from 1981 to 1984.

Ron's arrangements and compositions have been featured in repertoires of saxophonist Don Lanphere, the New Jazz Messengers big band, Extensions, and on brother Richard D. Cole’s work-in-progress featuring legendary trumpeter Randy Brecker.

An alumnus of Western Washington University where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in music, Ron earned his Doctorate of Musical Arts in Trumpet Performance from the University of Washington in 1998. His dissertation was titled Electronic Valve Instrument: Nyle Steiner's Unique Musical Innovation.

Besides performing, composing and arranging, Ron teaches advanced trumpet, jazz improvisation and music theory.