Musical Director

The Whitehall Orchestra Committee is looking to appoint a Musical Director to conduct this large, sociable, London-based amateur orchestra.

The Whitehall Orchestra is friendly, ambitious, and achieves high standards in its concerts. The orchestra was founded in 1978, initially recruiting its members entirely from the public sector. Today, we have around 60 members. The orchestra is open to all and its members come from a variety of sectors including the Civil Service, the art world, advertising, and banking. Rehearsals are usually held on Thursday evenings in Central London, around the Victoria area. More information is available at our website, www.whitehallorchestra.org.uk .

We normally perform three concerts per year, featuring classical repertoire for large orchestras from Beethoven to the present day, including commissioned works. Concerts venues include St Peter’s, Vauxhall, St James’, Paddington, and St Gabriel’s Pimlico. The Orchestra has collaborated with many renowned professional musicians and guest performers in recent years, and our members are dedicated and enthusiastic about music-making.

We are looking for a Musical Director with the following qualities:

• Enthusiastic - positive and friendly; conducts with panache; inspirational; helps us to develop as players;
• Responsive - sets ambitious but realistic standards; takes a collegiate, non-hierarchical approach; accommodating to the wishes and needs of all players;
• Technically able - evident musicality and interpretation abilities; provides clear beats, entries, and instructions; conducts to the players in the back rows as well as the front;
• Knowledgeable -deep musical knowledge; can conduct (and help to select) a wide range of appropriate repertoire, including lesser-known works; strong musical networks (to soloists, professional players, etc) preferred but not essential;
• Organised - conducts well-planned and punctual rehearsals; arranges activities to help us achieve the highest possible standards.

The principal duties will be to carry out musical training of the orchestra in rehearsals, to conduct performances, and to ensure that the highest possible musical standards are achieved both at rehearsals and concert, consistent with the orchestra’s musical and financial resources.

The Musical Director will be engaged by the group on a self-employed basis through a Contract for Services, and will therefore account for their own income tax, VAT and National Insurance contributions. Remuneration will usually be a fee of £220 per concert day, and a fee of £70 per two-hour rehearsal. The contract for Services agreed with the successful candidate will initially be for the period between September – December 2022, with the option to continue longer-term if the Orchestra and Musical Director are content.

To apply, please send a personal statement of suitability and a CV to whitehallorchestra@gmail.com by 28 February 2022. Applications will be sifted and promising candidates will be invited to conduct the Orchestra for a try-out rehearsal between late March and early May 2022 (please note that a nominal fee will be paid for the try-out rehearsal).  There will also be an informal interview with members of the orchestra’s Committee held on the same day. The Whitehall Orchestra welcomes applications from conductors from any background, and we will make any necessary accessibility adjustments to the recruitment and assessment process on request at application.