Musical Director and Principal Conductor

Application deadline: 
Friday, 15 September 2023
Description of vacancy: 

The City of London Choir is seeking a creative and experienced Musical Director and Principal Conductor, ideally to start in September 2024.

Established in 1963, the City of London Choir is an auditioned choir with around 140 members. The Times has described us as a ‘leader among non-professional choruses’. While no choir members are paid for singing, they behave professionally in all other aspects, performing with great energy and focus that come from a deep love of music-making and commitment to the highest standards. At the same time it is a friendly and sociable choir where many lifelong friendships have formed and flourished. We are proud of the reputation we have built, both in the national media and among audiences, for a distinctive youthful sound and the quality of our performances.

With a broad repertoire, we perform on average 10-12 times a year in London’s principal concert venues. A typical season would include four concerts promoted or co-promoted by the choir and, in addition, a number of performances on a range of scales for other promoters. We aim to promote a concert at the Barbican twice every three years. The choir makes regular recordings, many of which have been critically acclaimed. We rehearse weekly near Fleet Street.

Hilary Davan Wetton retired from the CLC in July 2023, after 34 years.

The role of Musical Director and Principal Conductor includes:

● devising the choir's performance programme
● developing its musical direction and aspirations in collaboration with the General Manager and Committee
● conducting concerts
● rehearsing the choir
● taking auditions of new members and re-auditions of existing members.

The successful candidate will need to have the vision and drive to develop the choir. He/she will need experience of – and a passion for – working with amateur musicians as well as professional orchestras, soloists and other artists.

Remuneration will be by agreement, depending on qualifications and experience.

The closing date for applications is 23:59 on 15 September 2023. Applications received after this date may not be considered. We expect to hold interviews during November 2023 and January 2024, followed by auditions for selected candidates, and a final decision during March-April 2024.

Further details, including details of how to apply, can be found here: https://www.cityoflondonchoir.org/post/hiring

Location: 
St Bride Foundation
Bride Lane Fleet Street
EC4Y 8EQ London
United Kingdom