Part-time Director, Early Music Ensemble

About the Department

For nearly 90 years, the University of Chicago Department of Music has been a leader in the acadmic study as well as the creation of serious music. With leading scholars in the relevant fields, the Department offers graduate degrees in Composition, Ethnomusicology, Music History, and Music Theory, as well as an undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in music. Beyond the classroom, the Music Department hosts a thriving co-curricular Performance Program that encompasses four choirs, two orchestras, a wind ensemble, two jazz ensembles, a percussion ensemble, as well as a South Asian, a Middle East, Early Music, and Afro-Cuban ensemble, plus specialized programs in chamber music, piano, and vocal studies. Open to all undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students at the University as well as faculty, staff, and community members, this wide-ranging Performance Program offers an exceptional environment for artistic inspiration and musical growth. For students in the Music Department, it serves as a meaningful complement to their academic studies.

Job Summary

The Early Music Ensemble (EME) Director provides artistic leadership, musical instruction, performance guidance, and individual coaching for student, faculty/staff, and community musicians interested in Medieval, Renaissance, and Early Baroque music, as part of the larger Music Department Performance Program. Duties include: planning 3 or more well-balanced concert programs, appropriate to the technical and musical capabilities of the ensemble members, per academic year; leading weekly rehearsals and quarterly performances of the ensemble; providing instructional materials and specific assignments to the student musicians, in accordance with the latest scholarship on historical performance practice; assessing and documenting the progress of those instructed. In addition, the EME Director provides relevant technical and musical feedback to individual student musicians, as well as advice on supplemental opportunities and advanced musical studies, as appropriate. The EME Director works with students to help them improve their musical skills and deepen their understanding of Early Music, and to nurture their life-long involvement in the musical arts.

In recent years the EME has been an ensemble consisting of 16-20 undergraduate, faculty/staff, and community musicians. Founded by renowned scholar Howard Mayer Brown, the EME has a long tradition of musical excellence and historically informed performance practice. Resources available at the University of Chicago to support the EME include a working collection of early music instruments (recorders, crumhorns, cornettos, viols, rebecs, etc.), as well as the extensive scholarly resources of the University of Chicago Library.
Responsibilities

Programs well-balanced and engaging EME concert programs for the Early Music Ensemble, featuring repertoire that is both suitable for the available instrumental and vocal forces and appropriate for the technical level of the musicians. Incorporates collaborations, joint performances, and special projects with other Music Department ensembles or community music groups into the season, insofar as possible. Schedules guest artists to appear with the ensemble periodically, as both budget and circumstances allow.
Conducts auditions as appropriate for the ensemble and/or schedules an Open House session at the beginning of the academic year to recruit skilled instrumentalists and singers to the EME.
Prepares sheet music and other resources in advance of the first ensemble rehearsal each quarter. Collects sheet music at the end of each concert cycle and returns it to the appropriate library.
Makes parts assignments, section assignments, and seating charts appropriate to the current skills and future development of the ensemble members.
Leads weekly ensemble rehearsals as scheduled, currently on Tuesday evenings, in preparation for quarterly concert performances. Arranges additional sectional rehearsals, workshops, and individual coaching sessions as needed to promote the maximum artistic growth of the ensemble and its members.
Creates and distributes supplemental instructional materials to members of the ensemble, in order to help build their basic musical skills, broaden their musical understanding, and promote their enthusiasm for the repertoire at hand.
Offers individual musical coaching sessions to student ensemble members as needed throughout the academic year.
Recruits additional musicians to the ensemble as needed, from within the UChicago student body and the Hyde Park community.
Advises student performers on planning and scheduling recitals, supplemental performances, community engagement activities, and advanced musical study as requested, very occasionally.
Meets with prospective students interested in pursuing musical opportunities in the College, as requested, very occasionally.
Tracks student attendance and engagement; submits grades (Pass/Fail) to the Registrar at the end of each academic quarter via the Faculty Access portal, in accordance with specified deadlines.
Follows all specified steps and format guidelines for working with the Music Department’s Director of Communications, Graphic Designer, and other Performance Program staff members in submitting concert information, program materials, personnel lists, and other relevant materials in accordance with specified deadlines.
Works within a modest operating budget available for the program. Follows all specified steps for working with the appropriate Performance Program staff member to request music purchases, instrument acquisitions or repairs, musician refreshments and/or concert receptions, guest soloist or substitute performer payments, and the like. Observes all required deadlines.
Follows all specified steps for reserving dates, times, and spaces for ensemble rehearsals, sectionals, and special activities with the appropriate Performance Program staff member. Submit stage diagrams, equipment requests, and details of any additional requirements for concert performances, in accordance with the required deadlines.
Works with the Director of Performance Programs to develop joint performances, special projects, and other innovative activities for the EME. Contributes ideas and feedback for the ongoing development and improvement of the EME and of the Performance Program as a whole.
Assists teachers with all aspects of the academic program. Instructs and provides counseling to students as well as giving them feedback.
Work with small groups of students to help them improve in the subject area and hold office hours to speak individually with students.
Has a moderate/high level of authority to participate in staff meetings, individual planning meetings, and parent-student staffings.
Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

Advanced degree in musical performance from an accredited conservatory.
MA or MM.
Experience:

Significant performance experience as an early music specialist in a variety of settings, such as solo recitals, small ensemble performances, and/or participation in larger performance ensembles.
A minimum of three years experience teaching private lessons or coaching early music, and/or leading an early music ensemble at another educational institution or in a professional setting.
Technical Skills or Knowledge:

Broad knowledge of the early music repertoire, including Mediaeval, Renaissance, and Early Baroque genres, and especially Renaissance specialization.
Knowledge of various pedagogical approaches for teaching instrumental and vocal students who may have only limited experience in the early music genre.
Basic familiarity with Renaissance Latin, Middle French, and/or other languages commonly utilized in Renaissance music.
Basic familiarity with Renaissance musical notation, manuscripts, and part books.
Preferred Competencies

Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Work successfully with students at various technical and musical levels.
Strong organizational skills.
Working Conditions

Make regular weekly commitment to on-campus teaching and coaching during the regular academic year, which consists of three nine-week quarters, October through May.
This is a part-time, non-benefits eligible position requiring approximately 15 hours per week.
Application Documents

Resumé/CV, that includes academic training plus a detailed list of early music repertoire performed in public (required)
Cover Letter, including your interest in this position (required)
Links to a minimum of two recent (i.e., within the past 2 years) solo or small ensemble performances by the candidate (required)

When applying, the document(s) MUST be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family

Academic Affairs

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

15

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary
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FLSA Status

Exempt
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Pay Range

$18,000.00 – $19,000.00
The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

This position is not eligible for benefits.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University’s Notice of Nondiscrimination.

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history. A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment. Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

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