Salary
£75 per rehearsal, which includes preparation time, with a bonus for concerts.
Job description:
LVM is seeking to appoint an experienced, friendly choral conductor, who can provide cover for our Musical Director while she is on maternity leave. This is an opportunity to deputise regularly for us from October until January/February 2022 (and potentially longer into Spring/Summer 2022).
About Leeds Vocal Movement:
Leeds Vocal Movement (LVM) is an un-auditioned SATB choir based in Leeds, West Yorkshire. Our choir aims to bridge the gap between youth choirs and choral societies, and we provide musical opportunities for young adults between the ages of 18 and 35. We are a fun, educational and social choir of approximately 40 singers (though we are currently only able to host 30 for socially-dustanced rehearsals), who perform music spanning a range of genres, including contemporary, classical, jazz, sacred and traditional music. Focusing on inclusive musical education, our Musical Director Caitlin Mayall uses the Kodály Method to help our members develop their ability to pitch, sight-read and improve tuning.
The choir rehearses every Wednesday evening during school term time, from 7.15-9.15pm in Leeds City Centre. We usually hold biannual concerts in December and June, as well as taking part in an annual collaborative event with local music groups. Previous collaborations have included concerts with Bradford Festival Choral Society, Phoenix Concert Band, and several choirs at the Left Bank Choir Festival. We also do an annual Christmas busk for charity and have released online videos throughout the pandemic.
Duties and responsibilities:
- Plan rehearsals and rehearse the choir on an ad hoc basis
- Deliver fun, engaging warm-ups at the beginning of each rehearsal
- Lead sectionals (usually upper or lower voices)
- Work collaboratively with our piano accompanist
- Prepare music prior to rehearsals
- Liaise with the Musical Director before and after the maternity leave to ensure a successful hand over e.g. to provide feedback and suggestions for next musical steps
- Communicate effectively with the Choir committee
Person specification
LVM is a unique choir in that it is made up of singers of all abilities, from those with very little musical experience, to confident sight-readers with years of professional training. As such, we are seeking to appoint a Conductor who:
- Have excellent knowledge of, and passion for, choral music
- Are a trained singer who can model musical phrasing
- Have experience in conducting choirs and planning rehearsals
- Can direct our choir in a personable, dynamic, and most importantly fun style
- Understands the importance of accessibity and inclusiveness in musical education
- Are highly reliable and good communicators
- Can confidently use a tuning fork or pitch pipe to give notes
- Are available on Wednesday evenings and able to travel to/from Leeds city centre
Recruitment Process
Please send through a CV outlining your experience relative to the choir and the personal specification with a short statement about why you are interested in Leeds Vocal Movement, via either:
A written document – two pages maximum, or;
A short video – 5 minutes maximum
Please submit all applications to manager@leedsvocalmovement.co.uk.
Please send through applications by Friday 3 September 2021.
We will let you know by Wednesday 8 September 2021 whether we would like to ask you to attend a mock rehearsal followed by a short interview on Wednesday 22 September 2021.
