Musical Director

Job Summary

ACS is a well-established and enthusiastic choir of 50+ singers. It is looking for a dynamic, enthusiastic, motivating MD to take over from 1 September 2025 (potentially April). This opportunity arises due to the recent resignation of the current MD who has been with the choir for 10 years.

Job Description

Aylesbury Choral Society is a long-running (now, over 90 years) and well-known mixed voice choir. It performs 3 major concerts each season, with professional orchestras and soloists, and participates in other events in the Aylesbury area on an ad-hoc basis, including occasional workshops. We sing music from the 16th to 21st centuries in a variety of styles and languages. We employ an excellent accompanist /repetiteur for rehearsals which are held on Tuesday evenings in Aylesbury.

Under Jeff Stewart’s leadership, the choir has performed works ranging from the mainstream to the totally unknown, including in the last few years Gounod’s Messe Solennelle de Sainte C cile, Vaughan Williams’s Benedicte and Saint-Sa ns’s rarely heard Christmas Oratorio. The choir has also recorded a CD (“Exceeding Glad”, 2012) which included a performance of Thomas Attwood’s coronation anthem “I was glad”, broadcast on Radio 3 as part of their Best of British season. Coming up in the current season, we look forward to performances of Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and, contemporary with Mozart, Marianna Martines’s Quarta Messa.

We are looking for an MD to lead the Society and to enable it to continue to flourish. The individual appointed will have proven choral and orchestral experience, have good contacts with professional singers and musicians, be a great dynamic communicator, have an enthusiasm for amateur music and be able to teach and encourage amateur singers, have good organisational skills, and be able to motivate the singers to achieve ever-greater things.

How to apply:

Please go to https://www.aylesburychoral.org.uk/dbpage.php?pg=mdposition to download the application documents and information pack or contact the Chairman, Chris Dalladay, on 0781 477 3919 or http://acschairman@gmail.com/ – acschairman@gmail.com. The closing date for application is 30 November 2024 at 12:00 noon.

Job Requirements

The MD should:

• Be a dynamic communicator, able to enthuse and motivate choir members, with a good sense of fun, and a passion for and joy in music from a range of historical periods and lighter, more contemporary styles (e.g. like those arrangements contained within the “Encores for Choirs” and “In the Mood” books)
• Have experience of both choral and orchestral conducting
• Demand and achieve high standards in both rehearsal and performance whilst retaining a light touch and a sense of humour
• Have decent keyboard skills (notwithstanding, the choir does employ an accompanist/repetiteur)
• Be able to contribute to creating balanced programmes which will appeal to all members of the Society irrespective of their musical abilities
• Have contacts in the music world that would benefit the Society, including the ability to engage suitable vocal soloists and orchestral players for various perforrmances
• Be willing to participate in the Choir’s social and other activities

Job Responsibilities

The principal duties of the Musical Director are as follows:

• To join with the Music Sub-Committee to recommend to the full Committee the repertoire at least one year in advance for the forthcoming season
• To prepare members in the agreed repertoire at the weekly rehearsals and in any other planned activities
• To conduct the choir and other performers in each season of concerts
• To recommend to the Committee suitable soloists and/or instrumentalists for the season’s concerts and provide the contact details of the soloists or their agents
• To aim for the highest possible standards both at rehearsals and concerts, consistent with the choir’s musical and financial resources
• To conduct membership voice assessments
• To advise and assist the Committee in the management of the choir’s affairs as an ex officio member of the Committee

The MD is automatically an ex officio member of the Society’s executive committee. Meetings are generally held online; about 4 a year.