KYLE COOK, M.M.Ed

Kyle Cook is a native of Bellaire, Ohio, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Education from West Liberty University in 2013 and a Master of Music Education degree from Ohio University in 2020.

Kyle is the Director of Choirs at Western Branch Middle School in Chesapeake, Virginia. He previously served as the Virginia Music Educators Association's District IV Choral Representative and is the Director of the Western Branch Middle School Musical Theater program, which he founded.  In 2021, he was named the Western Branch Middle School Teacher of the Year, was recognized as a Top 25 National Semifinalist for the 2022 GRAMMY Music Educator Award, and was selected as a 2026 Country Music Association Foundation Music Teacher of Excellence.

His choirs consistently receive top ratings at local and state adjudications in both performance and sight-reading and have earned Superior Ratings and Grand Champion honors at music festivals and competitions. His students host annual community benefit concerts and consistently earn placement in prestigious ensembles, including All-City, All-District, All-State, and national honor choirs. Among these distinctions, Western Branch Middle School's Concert Choir was selected as the Virginia Music Educators Association Middle School Conference Performance Choir in 2019 and 2025 and as a Conference Performance Choir for the American Choral Directors Association Southern Region Conference in 2022.

Since 2015, Kyle has served as Director of the Outer Banks Chorus, where he has led the organization through a period of tremendous artistic and organizational growth. Under his leadership, the chorus has expanded from 40 singers to over 120 members ranging from high school students to adults of all ages. The ensemble has performed an extensive and diverse body of choral literature, ranging from major masterworks and standard choral repertoire to contemporary works, musical theater, and music from film. Throughout his tenure, the chorus has collaborated with professional orchestras, collegiate choirs, international ensembles, distinguished composers, and professionals from the musical theater industry.

In 2025, Kyle led the Outer Banks Chorus on its first international concert tour, with performances in Florence and Rome, Italy. During the tour, the chorus was selected to provide the music for Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, an extraordinary honor and one of the defining milestones in the organization's history.

As a clinician, Kyle has presented professional development sessions at local and state conferences and is a highly sought-after guest conductor for honor choirs, benefit concerts, and community performances throughout Virginia and North Carolina.

Whether working with middle school singers or adult community musicians, Kyle is passionate about creating transformative musical experiences that foster artistry, excellence, and a lifelong love of choral singing.