Director, University Chamber Orchestra

Department

AHD Staff: Music SP Student Performance

About the Department

For nearly 90 years, the University of Chicago Department of Music has been a leader in the academic 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 involves 750+ musicians and 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 University Chamber Orchestra (UChO) is an intergral component of the instrumental wing of the Performance Program, which includes the University Symphony Orchestra, University Chamber Orchestra, University Wind Ensemble, and UChicago Percussion Ensemble. The UChO Director provides artistic leadership, musical instruction, performance guidance, and occasional individual coachings for student, faculty/staff, and community musicians interested in developing their musical proficiency and deepening their musical understanding through ensemble performance. Specific duties involved include: planning 2 or more well-balanced concert programs, appropriate to the technical and musical capabilities of the ensemble members, for the autumn and spring quarters; training and rehearsing the UChO as well as the cast and chorus chosen by the Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company for the annual G&S production at the end of the winter quarter, which includes three public performances; leading all weekly rehearsals and all public performances of the ensemble; providing instructional materials and specific assignments to the student musicians; assessing and documenting the progress of those instructed. In addition, the UChO 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 UChO Director works with students to help them improve their musical skills and deepen their understanding of chamber orchestra repertoire and ensemble performance, and to nurture their life-long involvement in the musical arts.

In recent years the University Chamber Orchestra has included approximately 30-40 undergraduate, graduate, faculty/staff, and community musicians. Membership in the University Chamber Orchestra is determined by the Director of Performance Progams on the basis of competitive auditions for all interested instrumentalists held at the beginning of each academic year. The UChO Director assists with recruitment for substitute or supplemental musicians as needed throughout the course of the season.

Selection Process
• Screening and phone interviews to be completed by early July.
• In-person interviews and conducting auditions, with student ensemble, will be scheduled during the second half of July.

Responsibilities

• Programs well-balanced and engaging concert programs for the University Chamber Orchestra, featuring repertoire that is both suitable for the available instrumental 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 UChO season, insofar as possible. Schedules guest artists or Concerto Competition winners to appear with the ensemble periodically, as both budget and circumstances allow. Recommended concert length: 50-60 minutes.
• 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, Monday evenings from 7:00-9:30 pm, 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 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, in cooperation with the Director of Performance Programs.
• Advises 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, Operations Manager, 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. Submits stage diagrams, equipment requests, and details of any additional requirements for concert performances, in accordance with the required deadlines. Notes that concert dates for the 2026-27 season have already been selected and reserved; minor adjustment to the schedule might be possible, as the overall Performance Program calendar would allow.
• Works with the Director of Performance Programs to develop joint performances, special projects, and other activities for the University Chamber Orchestra. Contributes ideas and feedback for the ongoing development and improvement of the UChO and the Performance Program as a whole.
• Checks, reads, and responds to UChicago e-mail messages regularly, not only on rehearsal days, during the regular academic year.  Consults with the Director of Performance Programs periodically about ensemble progress and/or problems that arise.  Fulfills all deadlines as specified.
• Has a moderate/high level of authority to participate in staff meetings, individual planning meetings, and parent-student staffings.
• Helps staff to plan and execute events.
• 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:

• Master of arts or music degree in musical performance from an accredited conservatory.

Experience:

• Substantive formal training in orchestral conducting.
• Background serving as an ensemble conductor, assistant conductor, or cover conductor for an established ensemble on the community orchestra level, at another educational institution, or in a professional setting.
• Training and experience in conducting opera, operetta, or musical theater.
• Familiarity at working with solo and choral singers as well as with orchestral musicians.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Broad knowledge of chamber orchestra repertoire from within the Western canon of orchestral music.
• Working knowledge of effective pedagogical approaches for teaching post-high-school orchestral musicians.

Preferred Competencies

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Work successfully with students at various technical and musical levels.
• Strong organizational skills.
• Dependability and accountability.
• Work within a well-established and broad-ranging Performance Program, and cooperate both with the Director of Performance Programs and the other PP Directors.

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. Availiabilty for Monday evening rehearsals strongly preferred.
• This is a part-time, non-benefits eligible position requiring approximately 16 hours per week. Schedule is heavier during the winter quarter, in preparation for the annual Gilbert and Sullivan production.

Application Documents

• Resumé/CV, that includes academic training, conducting experience, and list of orchestral repertoire performed in public with dates and ensembles indicated (required)
• Cover Letter, including a statement of your reasons for your interest in this position (required)
• Links to a minimum of Two Recent Conducting Videos occurring within the last 2 years, preferably one rehearsal video and one performance video (required)

Job Family

Academic Affairs

Role Impact

Individual Contributor

Scheduled Weekly Hours

16

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

$1,500.00 - $1,700.00

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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