The Scottish conductor Cole Bendall is known for bold programming, imaginative staging, and a compelling musical presence on the podium. He works predominantly in choral and symphonic repertoire, with a growing reputation working with youth choirs and on interdisciplinary projects. Equally at home in traditional and unconventional spaces, Cole brings energy, clarity, and narrative depth to every performance, deriving joy from the stories and techniques behind high-quality music-making. He is especially sought after for projects that demand strong artistic leadership, inspiring enthusiasm, and a collaborative, flexible approach.

Now based in London, Cole is the Music Director of Reigate & Redhill Choral Society, Woking Choral Society, and Holmbury St Mary Choral Society. Previous roles include working with Brockham Choral and Surrey County Youth Choir. Recent orchestral engagements include collaborations with the Academy of Ancient Music, Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra, Covent Garden Sinfonia, Southern Pro Musica, British Sinfonietta, and Amadeus Orchestra. He recently conducted the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir as part of the European Choral Association’s Leading Voices Festival at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre.

Career highlights include collaborations with the Rundfunkchor Berlin and the Turkish State Choir, masterclasses with the Hallé Choir, New Dublin Voices, and Epiphoni, as well as a Symphonic Conducting Fellowship at the Miami Beach Classical Music Festival (USA). As founder and Artistic Director of The Reid Consort from 2016-22, he earned national acclaim for daring, high-impact performances in Scotland, including recordings for the National Libraries of Scotland, Arvo Pärt’s PASSIO, and his own staged and devised PATCHWORK REQUIEM. Recent repertoire highlights include Verdi Requiem, Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, McDowall Da Vinci Requiem, Handel Messiah, Smyth Mass in D, Roth A Time to Dance, and a bespoke reduced orchestration of Elgar’s The Music Makers. In 2025-2026, he conducts Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius with London Mozart Players, directs Farnham Youth Choir and Woking Choral Society in Britten's Saint Nicolas, and appears as an Emerging Artist at Pro Coro Canada, leading a programme for choir and electronic dance music.

He has appeared in choral and orchestral masterclasses with Rüdiger Bohn, Simon Carrington, Sían Edwards, Neil Ferris, Mark Heron, Risto Joost, Gijs Leenaars, Stefan Parkman, and the late Sir Stephen Cleobury.

Alongside his conducting work, Cole is a sought-after educator and animateur, known for designing and delivering high-impact vocal and choral programmes for singers of all ages. He works as Music Staff of the National Youth Choir, leads educational programmes for Pimlico Musical Foundation, and teaches singing at Cranleigh School. He is also a cover conductor with London Youth Choirs. He has led education projects for English National Opera, Grange Park Opera, Tri-Borough Music Hub, Ark Music, the Rodolfus Foundation, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and Surrey Arts. As former director of the Surrey Primary Schools Music Festival, Cole directed annual performances involving thousands of children and large-scale education teams.

Cole also creates training resources in musicianship, vocal health, conducting, and music history for organisations including ABRSM, Surrey Arts, and a wide range of external partners. His work has been recognised by the Association of British Choral Directors, the Association of Teachers of Singing, and Help Musicians UK. Originally trained as a tenor, Cole has previously sung for the choirs of Guildford Cathedral and St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh, where he was a Lay Clerk and featured soloist on commercial recordings, as well as BBC Radio and Television. A prize-winning graduate of the Universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh, Cole has held academic and performance roles at St Andrews and Edinburgh, and contributes writing to The Choral Journal, Oxford University Press, and on his Substack, You Set the Tone.