Overview
Chicago a cappella is pleased to announce openings for three paid professional Guest Music Directors for the 2012-13 concert season. The Guest Music Director position is an opportunity for masterful choral conductors to work with one of the nation’s most accomplished vocal ensembles in a closely collaborative and exciting musical endeavor. Each Guest Music Director will have direct responsibility for shaping the ensemble’s musical performance of a single program, performed four times on the ensemble’s Chicago-area subscription series.
Each of the following concert programs will be directed by a Guest Music Director:
(1) “Navidad en México,” December 2012/Jan. 2013, with rehearsals beginning in October 2012, a celebration of Mexican music for the Christmas season ranging from Renaissance and baroque masterworks to contemporary compositions, including a newly-commissioned work by Mexican composer Jorge Córdoba;
(2) “Spirit / Breath / Voice,” February 2013, with rehearsals beginning in January 2013, a concert on the themes of compassion, joy, and generosity, featuring movements from a Renaissance Mass interspersed with contemporary works.;
(3) and “The A Cappella American Songbook,” April 2013, rehearsals February thru April, a collection of standards and Broadway classics in stunning and clever a cappella arrangements.
Repertoire will be chosen by the Artistic Director. See Job Description (PDF) for further details.
Application Process and Timeline
Applications are due to Chicago a cappella by December 31, 2011.
Interviews will be conducted during January 2012.
Announcement of Guest Music Directors will be made in March 2012.
To apply for a Guest Music Director position, please send the following information via e-mail to jmiller@chicagoacappella.org:
• Name, daytime and evening phones, and e-mail contact information;
• A cover letter outlining your interest and qualifications, as well as an indication of the program(s) for which you wish to be considered as a Guest Music Director;
• A professional resume outlining your experience and background;
• Name and contact information for three (3) references who know your work well.
Sound recordings are not being requested at this time.
Questions should be directed to Jonathan Miller at jmiller@chicagoacappella.org.
Chicago a cappella is an equal opportunity employer.
Chicago a cappella has occassional auditions to fill alternate slots on its artistic roster. To be considered for any upcoming auditions, please email letter of interest and resume to Artistic Director Jonathan Miller at JMiller@chicagoacappella.org.
Level of performing experience required: Unusually strong sight-reading skills; significant experience (5+ years) singing both Renaissance and contemporary music, preferably in small ensembles or one-to-a-part; experience and ease with just intonation in early music; ability to sing both full-voiced (with healthy vibrato) and with no vibrato at all, the latter often for extended periods in performance or rehearsal; prowess at holding a vocal line individually with a group of up to 8 others doing the same thing; strong stage presence; adaptability to an unusually wide range of musical styles; a strong ear for picking up new styles that may be unfamiliar; superb language skills; strong solo technique and emotionally compelling delivery.
Audition requirements: Auditionees will be asked to perform two contrasting pieces, one from standard classical repertoire and one from another genre; sight-reading will also be a part of the audition, possibly with another singer on a different voice part. A second-round audition may include rehearsing with the entire group for purposes of blend.