Description

The California Desert Chorale is the premier mixed voice choral ensemble in Southern California’s Coachella Valley.  Founded in 1994, the Chorale has a rich tradition of presenting exciting concerts of varied musical genres designed to entertain, educate and enrich our local audiences. The repertoire ranges from classical masterworks to Broadway favorites, and from sacred treasures to folk and pop.  Our singers enjoy the challenge of the varied repertoire, and our audiences enjoy and appreciate the skills and dedication of our performers.

The Chorale has a proud history of including and mentoring young vocal artists from our local area through its intern program and scholarship awards.  And we believe in sharing our musical talents with others in our community through a variety of ongoing outreach efforts.  

The California Desert Chorale is seeking an Artistic Director who will continue these cherished traditions with the energy, creativity, imagination, and inspiration that will move the organization onward and upward.

 Responsibilities

The Artistic Director provides the artistic vision and direction for the California Desert Chorale, which includes responsibilities such as repertoire selection, concert programming, and the development of educational outreach initiatives. In this role, the Artistic Director works closely with the Board to set strategic goals, plan annual seasons, and ensure that artistic objectives are thoughtfully aligned with the organization's broader priorities. The Artistic Director leads and supervises all chorale performances, maintaining open and collaborative communication with the Board of Directors to support both the artistic growth and organizational success of the Chorale.

Artistic Leadership and Chorale Management

        Provides overall artistic leadership and direction to the chorale

        Responsible for the artistic quality of all musical presentations of the Chorale or small groups

        Shall serve ex-officio, non-voting, member of the Board, and attend monthly Board meetings

        Recruits and auditions all chorus members and re-auditions as necessary

        Supervises artistic aspects of repertoire selection

        Conducts rehearsals of the Chorale. If it is necessary for the Director to miss a rehearsal, they will ensure the integrity of rehearsal time conducted by an appropriate substitute

        Assists in preparation of programs, flyers, and other advertising for concerts, including writing notes for program booklets

        Appoints section leaders and manages their activities

        Provides on-going instruction in vocal production and choral techniques with the goal of improving the artistic quality of the chorale

        Auditions, hires and prepares instrumentalists, professional soloists and other performers, and provides for fee negotiation with the Board

        Supervises all accompanists

        Collaborates with Board on acceptance of run-out requests, maintaining artistic vision and repertory

        Assists the Board in developing new streams of revenue, finding new venues for performances, and developing new collaborations with other choirs and musical organizations

        Ensures, in collaboration with Board, completion of annual ASCAP/BMI reports

        Works with Board to establish intern and scholarship programs.

Board Relations

        Presents monthly report to the Board regarding status and quality of all artistic programs and projects

        May attend committee meetings to represent the artistic side of the organization

        Participates in fundraising activities

Public Relations

        Serves as the official spokesperson for the organization

        Participates in community activities that further the name recognition of the chorale

        Represents the chorale in medica appearances as necessary

        Participates in music and professional organizations both locally and nationally. Funding may be available to cover costs of attending workshops and conferences.

        Collaborates with management in developing marketing and fundraising campaigns

 Other duties as needed/assigned

Requirements

Requirements

        Choral director experience 

        A music degree or equivalent professional experience

        Organizational and planning abilities

        Can work effectively with singers of all skill levels

        Effective interpersonal skills, including the capacity to build rapport with choir members and audiences

        Experienced in choral literature and conducting both classical, modern, popular and Broadway works