Position Detail - Interim Orchestra Director and Visiting Lecturer in Music

The Mount Holyoke College Music Department seeks a full-time one-year Interim Director of Orchestral Studies & Visiting Lecturer in Music. This is a one-year sabbatical replacement starting July 1, 2023.  The position entails conducting the Mount Holyoke Symphony Orchestra and teaching one classroom course each semester or the equivalent in individual studio lessons or chamber music. The orchestra is a 50-member ensemble comprising primarily students but also including faculty, staff, and community members. 

A Master’s degree is required. College and/or professional experience is desired.  Commitment to liberal arts education, the ability to contribute to the wider educational aims of the Department, and the capacity to reflect the College's commitment to diversity through repertory choices are essential.  

The successful candidate will demonstrate a record of excellence as a specialist in orchestral performance, balanced with evidence of dedication to effective teaching in a higher education environment. In addition to substantial experience with leading instrumental ensembles, the candidate will demonstrate experience in working with students and communities with diverse musical backgrounds and skill levels, including those seeking pre-professional training.

The successful candidate will demonstrate competence in working with students who are broadly diverse with regard to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, and religion.

Review of completed digital dossiers will begin on March 12th, 2023, and continue until the position is filled.  Please do not send hard copy material.

Application Materials

Please submit:

1. A one-page letter of interest directly addressing the expectations of the position.

2. A curriculum vitae

3. Statements concerning (1) teaching philosophy, and (2) mentoring a diverse student body. 

4. A PDF with web links to at least one rehearsal and one performance. If the candidate is conducting, at least one of these should be filmed from the perspective of an ensemble member (please upload this PDF to the "Research Interests" section of the application).

5. Contact information for three references 

Reference letters will be requested at a later date in the search process. We will begin reviewing applications on March 12th, 2023.

The Department

The Mount Holyoke College Music department's robust program comprises performance, theory, history, composition, ethnomusicology, and music technology.

In line with the curricular expectations of a liberal arts college, our courses are designed to help students make connections between theory and performance and understand how historical and cultural contexts shape musical styles and practices. The diversity of our course offerings is reflected in the scope of the musical traditions that we teach, including popular music, jazz, Western classical music, non-Western music traditions, and electronic and computer music.

Mount Holyoke is an undergraduate liberal arts college with 2,200 students and 220 faculty. Over half the faculty are women; one-fourth are persons of color. Mount Holyoke College is located about 90 miles west of Boston in the Connecticut River valley, and is a member of the Five College Consortium consisting of Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts.

Mount Holyoke College is a women’s college that is gender diverse. The College is committed to providing equal access and opportunity in employment and education to all employees and students. In compliance with state and federal law, Mount Holyoke College does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, genetic information, sex, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, ancestry, veteran or military status, or any other legally protected status under federal, state or local law. The College does not discriminate on the basis of gender in the recruitment and admission of students to its graduate program.

All offers of employment are contingent upon the finalist successfully passing a background (including criminal records) check.