2022-2023 INTERIM ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
JOB DESCRIPTION & SEARCH PROCESS
Musae, a San Francisco-based nonprofit women's vocal ensemble, seeks an interim artistic director to lead the group during the 2022-2023 season. Our season is divided into two concert cycles (dates below) which allows for the role of interim artistic director to be filled by one person in the fall and by another person in the spring. The stipend for this position is $5,000 per concert cycle.
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 adventurous 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 and our administrative director to continue to expand our success with performing and community-building through music.
Dates
Fall concert cycle
Tuesdays Aug 31, 2022 – Dec 6, 2022 |
6:30-9:00pm |
Kanbar Performing Arts Center in SF |
Saturday, Sept 10 |
10:00am-4:00pm |
Retreat #1 (Location TBD) |
Saturday, Nov 12 |
10:00am-4:00pm |
Retreat #2 (Location TBD) |
Sunday, Dec 4 |
11:00am-5:00pm |
1pm & 4pm Concert at Old Saint Hilary’s in Tiburon |
Saturday, Dec 10 |
6:00pm-10:00pm |
8pm Concert at Old First Concerts in San Francisco |
spring concert cycle
Tuesdays Jan 10, 2023 to May 9, 2023 |
6:30-9:00pm |
Kanbar Performing Arts Center in SF |
Saturday, Jan 21 |
10:00am-4:00pm |
Retreat #1 (Location TBD) |
Saturday, April 15 |
10:00am-4:00pm |
Retreat #2 (Location TBD) |
TBD |
TBD |
Concert (Location TBD) |
Sunday, May 7 |
1:30pm-5:30pm |
4pm Concert at Old Saint Hilary’s in Tiburon |
Qualifications
We are looking for candidates with:
- Demonstrated alignment with Musae's core values, as listed below
- Extensive knowledge of treble choral repertoire
- Extensive choral conducting background; M.M. preferred
- Substantial experience with concert programming
- Experience preparing high-caliber ensembles for emotionally, artistically, and visually compelling live performances
- 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
- Ability to collaborate with performers to create compelling artistic interpretations
- Willingness to program adventurous music 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 for the organization
- Excellent organizational skills
- Can-do spirit, willingness to get the work done, infectious enthusiasm that inspires others
Our Mission & Values
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.
Each Musae singer is committed to musical excellence and strives to embody the following core values:
The artistic director sets the vision for the ensemble and supports each singer in embodying the values above. They select repertoire, prepare for performances, lead rehearsals, and work with the board and administrative team to ensure a successful season of concerts, recordings, rehearsals, and other events.
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.
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. They select repertoire, prepare for performances, lead rehearsals, and work with the board and administrative team to ensure a successful season of concerts, recordings, rehearsals, and other events.
Compensation & Position Details
The stipend for this position is $5,000 per concert cycle.
The details of this position are as follows:
The details of this position are as follows:
- The estimated time commitment is 10 hours per week, including rehearsals:
- Tuesday evenings rehearsals, 6:30-9pm at Kanbar Center of Performing Arts in SF
- Two daytime weekend retreats per concert cycle (dates are flexible)
- Other hours are for preparation and administrative work
- The artistic director works closely with the administrative director to facilitate the organization and functioning of Musae, with support from the president of the board. Currently, both the administrative director (Kim McClain) and the board president (Kirstin Cummings) are also singers in Musae.
- The artistic director programs the concert cycle, rehearses the group, and facilitates a meaningful musical experience for singers and audience members.
- Concerts are in December and May, and are 60-70 minutes in length. Other performances of varying formality may occur throughout the season.
- Musae typically performs unconducted and singers memorize the repertoire.
- The group does not engage a regular piano accompanist in rehearsal or performance.
- During the 2022-2023 season we performed with a conductor due to the extra challenges posed by covid.
- Musae sometimes collaborates with other vocal ensembles and instrumental groups and is often accompanied and/or conducted in these performances.
- The artistic director’s role includes auditioning new members prior to their second/callback audition with the whole group. Since March of 2020, this has been done via Zoom.
Background & 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 a 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 seasonal 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.
In 2012, Musae welcomed Ben Johns of Chanticleer as its artistic director. Musae performed at Chanticleer's 35th Anniversary Gala and participates in the New Music for Treble Voices Choral Festival held annually in Palo Alto. With the 2013-2014 season, Musae celebrated its 10th Anniversary Season, continuing to perform around the Bay Area and produce music of the highest caliber.
In 2016, Laney Armstrong became Musae's artistic director. She is a singer and conductor who has made choral music and choral music education her life’s work. As a conductor and educator, Dr. Armstrong strives to cultivate a love of music in each singer through quality programing, building skills and musicianship, and devotion to the music and texts.
In 2018, Musae established a new administrative director position. Previously, administrative tasks had been shared by the singers who served on committees to facilitate the organization and functioning of the group. There had developed a need to alleviate time commitment to singers and centralize administrative projects. Kim McClain became the administrator director and began managing bookkeeping, budgeting, auditions, personnel, calendar, logistics, venues, marketing, concert production, and fundraising.
Musae is supported by a loyal group of supporters, donors, and audience members.
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 a 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 seasonal 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.
In 2012, Musae welcomed Ben Johns of Chanticleer as its artistic director. Musae performed at Chanticleer's 35th Anniversary Gala and participates in the New Music for Treble Voices Choral Festival held annually in Palo Alto. With the 2013-2014 season, Musae celebrated its 10th Anniversary Season, continuing to perform around the Bay Area and produce music of the highest caliber.
In 2016, Laney Armstrong became Musae's artistic director. She is a singer and conductor who has made choral music and choral music education her life’s work. As a conductor and educator, Dr. Armstrong strives to cultivate a love of music in each singer through quality programing, building skills and musicianship, and devotion to the music and texts.
In 2018, Musae established a new administrative director position. Previously, administrative tasks had been shared by the singers who served on committees to facilitate the organization and functioning of the group. There had developed a need to alleviate time commitment to singers and centralize administrative projects. Kim McClain became the administrator director and began managing bookkeeping, budgeting, auditions, personnel, calendar, logistics, venues, marketing, concert production, and fundraising.
Musae is supported by a loyal group of supporters, donors, and audience members.
How to Apply
Please submit materials or questions to info@musae.org at your earliest convenience.
- Cover letter and resume
- Two audio or video samples of previous conducting or artistic director work
- Two samples of previous concert programs
- References are welcome