Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir is seeking the services of a long-term Artistic Director and Principal Conductor, for the period beginning September 01, 2025.
WHO SHOULD APPLY TO THIS CALL?
Artistic Directors and choral conductors with established experience in leading groups of singers of varied music skills through intensive rehearsal sessions and conducting challenging TTBB repertoire for concert audiences of 175 to 300 persons.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
The Artistic Director of the Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir (TWMVC) will:
● be an experienced choral director with an excellent track record in leading large choral ensembles. Given the weekly rehearsals from September to early June and scheduled concerts it would be an advantage to be a resident in the greater Toronto Area during this period.
● be responsible for all aspects of the Choir’s artistic performance, reporting to the Board of Directors and working in partnership with the Board President and other key TWMVC members.
● be a creative thinker, a consummate musician and programmer, able to inspire and elicit performances of superior artistic quality and emotional impact, working with the board to create a vision for the organization that builds on the Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir’s 30-year history.
● plan and deliver weekly rehearsals for a 40-voice choir, in person on Wednesday evenings at our 401 / Yonge Street rehearsal facility.
● conduct the choir in concert about twelve times per year, with engagements staged both in the GTA and across southern Ontario, usually on Saturdays and Sundays for sponsors, such as church organizations and charities. There are occasional Saturday and Sunday concerts out of town.
● for each concert, be responsible for preparing concert song lists of 100 minutes of repertoire. Collectively, TWMVC singers have mastered a repertoire of concert-ready, off-book TTBB arrangements, which stand as proven crowd pleasers. While partly refreshed each season, this established repertoire will continue to form the core of our future concerts. It includes traditional Welsh pieces and modern arrangements by composers/songwriters from Wales, sung both in Welsh and in English; as well as repertoire from other musical styles and genres, including Canadian folk, Broadway, opera, pop and the African American spiritual tradition.
● the ability to coach and promote chorister’s individual and collective choral skills and knowledge through available online tools, rehearsals and performances:
● work closely with TWMVC’s Principal Accompanist and choir soloists.
● participate in the TWMVC informal audition process for new and returning singers.
● as an ex-officio member, work in collaboration with the Board of Directors, attending meetings as requested and supporting the Mission of the TWMVC and the provisions of the TWMVC Constitution dealing with Welsh content and choir governance. TWMVC is a choral collective, managed by its member singers.
● act as spokesperson for the Choir in media opportunities, as appropriate, participate in events and meetings that further relationships with TWMVC stakeholders (collaborative partners, donors and government partners).
● fulfill other artistic responsibilities, which may arise for the successful delivery of the TWMVC concert schedule.
ABOUT THE CHOIR
The Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir (TWMVC) is a non-profit charitable organization that has been thrilling concert audiences since 1995, by successfully adapting the spirit of Welsh TTBB choral singing to Canada.
To learn more visit torontowelshchoir.com
COMPENSATION:
● the Artistic Director is engaged as a fee-for-service, independent contractor, i.e. annual contract-for-service. Compensation is TBD and equivalent to part-time, based upon an assumption of a level of effort of 8-10 hours per week, during the period start of September to end of May each season.
● travel, food, and accommodations are provided by TWMVC, when the choir is travelling outside the GTA. The cost of travel to and from weekly rehearsals is borne personally by the MD.
SELECTION:
TWMVC has established a Selection Committee from within its membership. The Selection Committee will review all applications. Following this review, the Selection Committee will contact selected individuals for an interview. The three finalists will have an opportunity to attend a rehearsal and conduct the choir. The Selection Committee will then present its final short list of applicants to the Board of Directors. Final selection will be based upon the individual’s experience, qualifications, fit with the choir, and compensation expectations. All individuals who apply will be contacted regarding the outcome of the process.
The APPLICATION PROCESS
Interested candidates are invited to submit a letter of interest in confidence including your relevant qualifications, program planning and choral curation experience as well as conducting history, salary expectations, three references, up to three audio recordings, and up to three videos (one of which, if possible, has been recorded live in concert) to apply@torontowelshchoir.com by Friday, February 28, 2025. Please confirm email address and include telephone number. Inquires prior to submission should also be directed to the address above.
The Toronto Welsh Male Voice Choir is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates for employment are considered without regard to race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age or non-job-related disability.
