Biography

Originally From San Antonio, Texas, Kole Pantuso is the newly appointed Principal Trumpet of the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra beginning in the 2024-2025 season. Prior to joining the KSO, he had an active freelance career in the greater Cincinnati area which included substituting with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. He has been a fellow with the National Orchestral Institute + Festival. He received a Master’s Degree in Trumpet Performance from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music where he was awarded a Brass Quintet Fellowship. He also holds a Bachelor’s of Music from the University of North Texas. His primary teachers are Marie Speziale, Phil Collins, Michael Mergen, Jason Bergman and John Holt. An advocate of the uplifting power of music, Kole holds a full studio of trumpet students in Cincinnati, Ohio. In his free time, he enjoys cooking and martial arts.