Click or tap here to download a printable PDF of this page.

The Spectrum Singers

Position: Music Director

Boston, MA
Posting Date: February 2023

The Spectrum Singers seeks a new Music Director to assume leadership of the organization in the summer of 2025 upon the retirement of current and founding Music Director John W. Ehrlich. The Spectrum Singers, an acclaimed 40-voice Boston-area chorus founded in 1980, performs three concerts each season in Cambridge.

The Spectrum Singers is fundamentally committed to technical and vocal excellence, as well as artistically robust and broad-ranging programming from the Renaissance to the present day. We expect that the new Music Director will build on this foundation and bring a personal artistic vision of inspiring The Spectrum Singers to flourish in the future.

Expectations of the next Music Director

The Music Director reports directly to the Board of Directors and is responsible for the advancement of the chorus’s artistic potential and its image in the community. The Music Director is responsible for the repertoire, programming and artistic production and has ultimate authority for the selection of accompanying artists.

Requisite Attributes:

  • Successful experience directing a choral ensemble similar to The Spectrum Singers

  • Ability to attract, retain, nurture and inspire highly qualified singers

  • Be committed to rigorous artistic standards: have the ability to provide positive reinforcement to chorus and be comfortable with providing feedback to individual singers when necessary

  • Possess a wide knowledge of the classical choral repertoire

  • Be committed to expanding the chorus’s audience by engaging with its listeners in novel ways that will attract and retain them

  • Be committed to promoting diversity not only in music repertoire, but also in the chorus and audience, by fostering an inclusive and equitable environment and by creating accessible and welcoming Spectrum Singers concerts and events for all members of the communities we serve

  • Be committed to proactively promoting The Spectrum Singers, by developing relationships with individuals and organizations leading to artistic and educational collaborations, diverse venues, and exposure to new audiences

  • Be committed to efforts to expand the financial foundation of The Spectrum Singers in support of future artistic endeavors

  • Be committed to working collaboratively with the board to manage budgets–particularly by designing cost-conscious programming, promoting fundraising efforts and strengthening audience engagement

  • Must be a collaborative individual in all interactions with Spectrum stakeholders, including singers, the Board of Directors, audiences, and financial supporters of The Spectrum Singers

Application Process

Submit a cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, a résumé, and supply contact information for at least three professional references. An audio or video recording of an applicant’s past performance or rehearsal is strongly recommended.

All applications will be treated as strictly confidential. References will not be contacted without the candidate’s prior knowledge and consent.

Send application via email by May 15, 2023 to:
Doug Latham, Chairman, Spectrum Music Director Search Committee
Doug.Latham@spectrumsingers.org
Subject: APPLICATION – Name – Date of application

The audition process is anticipated to proceed along the following timeline, which may be amended from time to time, depending on the progress of the search:

  • Application deadline: May 15, 2023

  • The Search Committee will begin to review credentials in May 2023, and each applicant will receive a response. The search will remain open until the position is filled.

  • The Search Committee will conduct initial interviews from June to September 2023.

  • Candidates invited for an interview will be requested to provide a proposal for a concert you would prepare and conduct if selected.

  • Selected candidates will be invited to lead a rehearsal with the chorus during the 2023-2024 concert season.

  • 2 or 3 finalists will be invited to rehearse and guest conduct a concert in the 2024-2025 season.

  • The Spectrum Singers will welcome our new Music Director in June of 2025.

The Spectrum Singers provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.