Chorale Director

The Rochester Symphony Orchestra & Chorale (Rochester Symphony or RS) is part of a rich and developing arts scene located in Rochester, Minnesota. Rochester Symphony’s mission is “we bring great music to life.” As an ensemble within the organization, Rochester Symphony Chorale is an auditioned, all-volunteer ensemble of 90+ members in Rochester, MN and surrounding region that performs twice each year with the Rochester Symphony Orchestra. Chorale members are a diverse group – medical professionals, teachers, students, business leaders, and retired persons – some with professional music training and some new to performance, all sharing a passion for choral singing.

Position

Rochester Symphony is seeking a Chorale Director to begin their tenure with the organization beginning with the 2025-26 concert season. The Chorale Director works collaboratively with and reports to the Music Director. The successful candidate will demonstrate strong leadership and organizational skills as well as a heart for community and relationship-building within the chorale.

The Chorale Director works together with the Music Director with support from the administrative staff of Rochester Symphony to shape the sound of the Chorale in alignment with the Orchestra. The Chorale Director is directly involved in selecting repertoire that matches the skill of the ensemble and the artistic goals of the organization, auditioning new members and regularly evaluating existing members. The Chorale Director leads weekly rehearsals during the concert season of September – April, empowering singers to produce high-quality and inspiring performances in partnership with the orchestra.

The ideal candidate possesses:

• Ability to lead large choruses with clarity and inspiring excellence.
• Familiarity with major choral literature and working knowledge of historical contexts of music as well as a firm understanding of Italian, German, French, and Latin language pronunciation.
• A commitment to developing skills of singers with various amounts of experience through choral techniques and vocal production with a strong sense of musicianship.
• Strong interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills with a willingness to collaborate.
• Degree in conducting (or related focus) or demonstrated professional experience required.

Compensation

This position is paid on a contract per-service basis. A “service” is generally considered 2-3 hours in length (examples are rehearsals and concerts) and is compensated in the range of $150/service. Additional meetings, auditions, and planning sessions are compensated separately.

Rochester Symphony is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from diverse candidates.