The Salisbury Symphony welcomes nominations and applications for the position of Music Director, available beginning in the 2024 - 2025 season.

The Position

The Music Director serves as conductor of the Salisbury Symphony Orchestra and chief artistic director for all orchestral activities. Reporting directly to the board of directors, the Music Director works closely with the Board President, Executive Director, Education Director, and Personnel Manager to execute the symphony’s mission to our community. The Music Director is responsible for ensuring that a high level of artistic quality is present in all aspects of the orchestra, including the Symphony’s education and community engagement initiatives. As artistic director and conductor, the music director is experienced in effective rehearsal practices and performances with a professional orchestra, and is expected to have a deep knowledge of orchestral repertoire both old and new.

The Salisbury Symphony’s Music Director brings a fresh perspective to every part of the orchestra while also accepting and building on existing successes in the organization. The Music Director takes the lead in working with others to cooperatively design a new future for the organization out of respect for the heritage that has already been established. In all things relating to orchestra personnel, such as artistic planning, auditions, solo assignments, seating, etc., the Music Director shall foster the creativity of those within the orchestra and uphold the ideals of fairness and sensitivity.

A dynamic leader who is committed to working together with musicians and staff, the Music Director is an effective and enthusiastic communicator, public speaker, and acts as the chief ambassador for orchestral music in our community.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate will have outstanding musicianship and conducting abilities, significant conducting experience, including working with professional musicians, familiarity with a wide range of repertoire, strong leadership, interpersonal, and communication skills, as well as the drive and determination to make symphonic music exciting and relevant for both current and potential audiences. Previous or current music directorship or comparable experience preferred.

 The Orchestra

The Symphony performs twelve programs each year:

• Five Orchestra Series concerts.
• Five Serenade Series concerts. (Quartets and Quintets)
• A Nutcracker Ballet performance in December.
• An annual “Pops at the Post” outdoor performance.

One of the Salisbury Symphony’s primary purposes is providing symphonic music-related cultural and educational experiences to the area’s school-age children. The Symphony’s current education programs are as follows:

• An After-School Strings program.
• A youth orchestra.
• An Orchestra Series concert featuring local high-school players and school choruses.
• A partnership with the North Carolina Symphony to perform an annual education concert for 5^th

The Salisbury Symphony, a registered nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, receives funding from the North Carolina Arts Council, The Rowan Arts Council, Catawba College, Livingstone College, Rowan County, the City of Salisbury, and other local foundations and organizations. In addition, the Symphony obtains some 70% of its annual budget through funding support from individuals and local members of the community.

Salisbury

The City of Salisbury has a population of 34,000 and is unusual for a city its size in its support of a local symphony, community theaters, and visual arts center. Private colleges with rich histories of their own, including Catawba, Livingstone, Rowan-Cabarrus Community, and Hood Theological Seminary have added to the intellectual climate.

Downtown Salisbury is amid a revitalization that has been much aided by the recently opened Bell Tower Green Park which serves as the new home for the Symphony’s Pops at the Post performance. The city is located centrally among the larger metro areas of Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and Greensboro, all of which are about 45 miles from Salisbury. Our community is home to several growing industries, yet it maintains an affordable cost of living and cultural identity when compared to the nearby metro regions.

Compensation

Compensation, including benefits, is competitive and commensurate with experience and qualifications. This is a part-time salaried position.

($30,000 - $40,000)

Applications

Application must include: a personal letter of interest from the candidate, resume, sample programs conducted by the candidate, names and phone numbers of at least three professional references. DVD recordings may be submitted with application materials. The Salisbury Symphony is an equal opportunity employer.

Please submit applications by Wednesday - August 31, 2022 to:

Salisbury Symphony

Attention: Search Committee

204 E Innes Street – Suite 260

Salisbury, NC 28144

search@salisburysymphony.org

To learn more about the process of the search, please go to www.salisburysymphony.org/work-with-us/

Qualifications

• Masters degree in music performance/conducting or commensurate experience.
• Experience conducting and delivering compelling performances with professional orchestras.
• Mastery of at least one instrument, ability to coach all sections to realize desired level of performance and musical interpretation.
• Experience performing as a member of an orchestra.
• Effective and efficient rehearsal technique.
• Ability to travel to Salisbury to meet music director responsibilities.