The Cleveland Chamber Choir, a Cleveland-based professional choir, is seeking a new Artistic Director, beginning with the 10th Anniversary 2024-2025 season. The Artistic Director brings vision, energy, and a high level of musical skill to build a quality program that best serves CCC’s mission of exceptional performances of unique and diverse repertoire, blending music by living composers with six centuries of choral repertoire, and emphasizing the works of composers historically excluded from the concert hall. Declared by ClevelandClassical.com as “the top...of Cleveland choral ensembles”, the Choir performed at the 2023 National Conference of the American Choral Directors Association as an invited choir, only seven years after its founding in 2015. The Choir has won acclaim for inclusive programming, for partnering with community charities, and for the free concerts that ensure everyone can afford to hear world-class professional choral singing. The Cleveland Chamber Choir brings together performing artists, administrators, audience members, and donors with the philosophy that choral music is a vehicle for good in the world that should be accessible and welcoming to all.
This choir presents three to four concert cycles each season, with approximately 15 hours of rehearsal per concert cycle, beginning approximately one to two weeks prior to the performance(s). This is a part-time contracted position, with compensation on a per concert cycle basis. This position will begin in December 2023 with setting programming for the 10th Anniversary Season. Due to the nature of work beginning in December 2023, not associated with a concert cycle, separate compensation will be given. Regional applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.
The Artistic Director reports to the Board of Directors, and works with the executive team to maintain a collaborative leadership model by creating a positive relationship between artistic and administrative roles. The Artistic Director represents the Cleveland Chamber Choir (CCC) locally, and beyond, serving as a spokesperson of CCC, and sets a personal and artistic example for the organization. The Artistic Director is a self-starter, responsible for overall leadership, planning and management of artistic operations, including season planning, rehearsals, and performances.
The Principal duties and responsibilities of the Artistic Director include:
Artistic Program Management
- Collaborate with the Executive Director to set the seasonal calendar for rehearsals, performances, and other events as the season dictates
- Collaborate with the Executive Director, Assistant Conductor(s), and Operations Council to set artistic, logistic, venue, and production details
- Program repertoire for each concert/season that adheres to CCC’s commitment to living composers and emphasizing the works of composers historically excluded from the concert hall
- Provide all materials necessary for singers to learn music one month in advance of beginning rehearsals for each concert cycle (marked scores, reference recordings, divisi assignments, diction recordings, etc)
- Actively seek out innovative and engaging ways to present performances and programs in the community
- Conduct rehearsals and performances as dictated by the season
- Attract and retain skilled singers
- Audition/screen/select new members of the choir
- Post-concert follow up (timely review of audio materials and communication regarding audio mastering and video release)
Communication
- Work with the Executive Director to communicate details to singers
- Respond in a timely fashion to communications
Board Duties
- Participate in Executive and General Board meetings and provide updates (serve as Ex Officio member)
- Participate in donor and stakeholder engagement
- Participate in development activities at the request of the Board of Directors
- Articulate artistic needs and goals for grant applications as requested
- Actively participate in fundraising events
- Help recruit Board members
- Work with Board President to set artistic agenda and direction for the organization
Financial Management
- In advance of each season, develop a comprehensive artistic plan that, in collaboration with the executive team, creates the basis for the upcoming season’s budget
- Consider the impact of additional expenses on our ability to fundraise, both in advance of the new season as well as any impact to the current season
- Work with the Grants Officer to understand the goals of various granting organizations as we plan each coming season, looking for opportunities to increase our chances of receiving grants.
- Demonstrate disciplined financial stewardship and responsibility
Qualifications
- Bachelorʼs degree in Music required; Masterʼs degree or equivalent experience preferred
- Extensive knowledge of and experience in conducting traditional and new choral repertoire
- Conducting experience appropriate to leading a professional-caliber choir with adult voices
- Extensive knowledge of vocal technique, and ability to properly model and encourage healthy vocal production
- Ability to foster a sense of community within the choir while simultaneously achieving the choirʼs shared goal of choral excellence
- Ability to conduct professional instrumental ensembles
- Ability and willingness to work effectively with the Board of Directors and other contracted workers
- Ability and willingness to represent the organization with funding agencies, donors and supporters
Compensation
- The Artistic Director is a part-time contracted position
- The contracted payment will be paid immediately after each concert cycle
- The compensation for 2024-2025 season will be $1500 per standard concert cycle and reviewed annually by the Board.
Materials to Submit
Send all materials to [email protected] by July 1, 2023
- Cover letter
- Please address your approach in creating programming
- Resume/CV
- Videos
- Please provide links of 5-10 minutes of conductor-facing video footage showing contrasting styles of music
- References
- Please provide four references: two artistic, one administrative, and one from a current or past ensemble member
- 3 past programs
- 2 proposed programs of 70 min, (1) for 18-24 and (1) for 32 SATB (SA and TB selections are also acceptable, as is divisi)
- Consider the following when programming:
- CCC’s mission
- Viability of programming for grants
- Cost of music to purchase (we budget $500 per concert)
- Cost of concert to produce - how many instrumentalists, any specialized requirements?
- Include a paragraph on the theme for each concert, as though writing for a concert program booklet
- Consider the following when programming:
- 2-3 selections of music, approximately 10 minutes in total, that would be rehearsed with a 12-16 voice choir, if selected for in-person interview
- Consider CCC’s mission when selecting pieces
- At least one piece should not be in English
- Please provide marked scores, diction recordings, preferred translation
- If divisi is not intuitive, please describe how you would like singers to split
- Music may be unaccompanied or accompanied by piano; a collaborative pianist will be present for the rehearsal portion of the interview
Search Timeline
- It is the Search Committee’s hope that applicants will be notified by August 1, 2023 if selected for an in-person interview. Phone interviews may be conducted.
- The in-person interview will take place in late August/early September, and will consist of two 2-hour rehearsals, and two meetings with members of the search committee.
- The Search Committee hopes to have the process completed by mid-October.
Please direct any questions to Kira McGirr, Executive Director, at [email protected]
Downloadable version of the Artistic Director job description and application requirements:
| ccc_artistic_director_job_description.pdf |