Artistic Director
Job Description & Search Process

Musae, a San Francisco-based nonprofit vocal ensemble for women, seeks a visionary artistic director to lead the group into a new phase of dynamic and exciting music making.

Our ensemble is committed to excellence. We present compelling performances that engage and move our audiences through storytelling, collaboration with other musicians, and beautiful vocal artistry. We seek an artistic director who will advance our mission and continue to help us grow and learn as an ensemble, and who will help us continue to provide heartfelt and generous music making to our growing audience around the Bay Area.

We are a small but thriving nonprofit organization, and we seek an artistic director who will work with our board of directors to continue to expand our success with performing, recording, and community-building through music.

Desired Qualifications

• Demonstrated alignment with Musae's core values, as listed below
• Extensive choral conducting background; M.M. preferred
• Substantial experience with season and concert programming, specifically with a focus on preparing high-caliber ensembles for emotionally, artistically, and visually compelling live performances
• Experience producing high-quality recordings (preferred)
• Experience working in a nonprofit context with volunteers and a board of directors
• Avid and enthusiastic learner with demonstrated commitment to continuous learning
• Experience working with singers as peers and professionals to advance and enhance skills (see Musae's skill rubric) and ability to collaborate with Musae's singer-members and guest artists to create compelling artistic interpretations
• Willingness to expand traditional choral boundaries to advance the mission of the ensemble; interest in multiple forms of vocal music and experimental collaborations
• Ability to write program notes, support administrative functions of organization, speak at concerts, and advocate for financial and other support of the organization
• Excellent organizational skills
• Can-do spirit, willingness to do what it takes to get the work done, infectious enthusiasm that inspires others

Our Mission

Musae offers a new experience of women's voices by combining musical artistry with an innovative and generous approach to performance.

Music is an essential part of our lives. Our commitment to excellence and collaborative learning challenges us to push artistic boundaries each season. We believe that Musae's heartfelt and adventurous music making inspires audiences and builds community.

Our Values

Each Musae singer is committed to musical excellence and strives to embody the following core values:

• Dynamic, versatile, and confident performance
• Independent and accomplished musicianship
• The ability to both lead and follow as necessary
• Vocal accuracy, agility, and expressiveness
• Active engagement in ongoing learning and growth
• The ability to take risks and move outside one's personal comfort zone
• Support of and engagement in the group process
• The ability to dedicate ample time and energy to producing performances of the highest possible quality

The artistic director sets the vision for the ensemble and supports each singer in embodying the values above. He or she selects repertoire, prepares for performances and recordings, leads rehearsals, and works with the board and administrative team to ensure a successful season of concerts, recordings, rehearsals, and other events.

Compensation

A modest stipend is offered annually for this position, with the possibility for future growth.

Background and History

Musae is a women's vocal ensemble based in San Francisco. The group takes its name from the original "ladies of song," the classic nine muses of Greek mythology. Since its founding in 2004, Musae has performed diverse and accessible music throughout the Bay Area, and continues to stretch the boundaries of traditional repertoire for women's voices.

Musae functions as a musical collective in which each singer identifies as a leader and soloist contributing actively to the artistic process. The group's singers are trained in the choral tradition, but not bound by it. Each singer may sing a range of voice parts based on the aesthetic demands of the music, and the group performs without conductor.

In its first six seasons, Musae established itself as an up-and-coming member of the Bay Area music community. The group collaborated with acclaimed vocal ensembles Kitka and Chanticleer, performed at charity events, hosted a series of open houses, and produced a full schedule of season concerts. Whether in Berkeley, Marin, on the Peninsula, or at home in San Francisco, Musae offers its audiences a new experience of women's voices with a repertoire including sacred chants, baroque masterpieces, choral standards, chamber pieces with string quartet, spirituals, folk songs, jazz, and popular music from five continents.

In 2005, Musae released its debut album, From Argentina to Appalachia, featuring music from North America, Venezuela, Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. Alegría y Placer: A Musae Christmas followed in 2007, showcasing local composer Conrad Susa's "Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest" for women's chorus, harp, marimba, vibraphone, and guitar.

In 2008-2009, Musae celebrated its 5th Anniversary Season, during which the group presented its first ever Meet the Composer event, premiered works composed especially for the group, hosted a party and fundraiser at The City Club of San Francisco, and brought its annual December and May concerts to audiences in San Francisco, Berkeley, and Tiburon. In 2009, the group released Five, a fifth anniversary CD, and in 2010, the group premiered its first full-length commission from local composer Dwight Okamura.

Musae is supported by the Zellerbach Family Foundation, the Hewlett Foundation, the SF Hotel Tax Fund, and a loyal group of supporters, donors, and audience members.

To Apply

Please send cover letter, resume, audio or video samples of previous conducting work including at least four selections, and a sample 2011-2012 season repertoire for Musae (fall and spring concerts; 60-70 minutes each).

In addition, please include answers to the following questions with your application.

1. Why are you applying for this position?
2. What are the primary skills you have to offer that will advance Musae's mission?
3. In what areas do you anticipate needing to grow most to be successful in this position?
4. What does a "successful performance" mean to you? What type of preparation do you think is necessary for artistic excellence in performance?

Please submit all of your materials to search@musae.org by 5pm on December 1, 2010. Materials can also be sent to P.O. Box 410783, San Francisco, CA 94141.