The Multifaceted Career: Iris Cole

Longy School of Music of Bard College is proud to present The Multifaceted Career Speaker Series featuring conversations with musicians who defy categorization. As an essential component of Longy’s career coaching program, this series fosters an exploration of how we (re)define individual success in our diverse and growing field.

Iris Cole is a classically-trained flutist, with degrees in performance, conducting and creative entrepreneurship from Louisiana State University and Berklee College of Music. She spent the first part of her career playing in orchestras and teaching music at the collegiate level.  

On a personal quest to discover the applications of her artistic skills, she pursued an opportunity in the non-profit sector, running The Character Council of Greater Cincinnati, a community-wide initiative promoting character, ethics and social responsibility. Iris is an entrepreneur and has started several companies including FEF Group, She Raises the Bar (a social responsibility/sustainability consulting firm), and most recently Do Good Artist, a social enterprise that moves the needle on social issues through multi-sector collaborations between the arts and other industries. Iris’ background and passion for the arts has made her a strong advocate for the arts and how the arts can impact our world.  

Ms. Cole is a champion of young artists and devotes a significant amount of time to help broaden their thinking and ability to apply their skills in multi-disciplinary environments. She has spearheaded various collaborative learning projects with universities in the state of North Carolina, in the Caribbean and abroad. She is a current fellow of the Kenan Institute for the Arts at UNCSA.  

Iris serves on the Boards of the Hispanic League and Reynolda House, and is a founding member and Board Co-Chair of the Women’s Network of Winston-Salem.