Assistant/Associate Professor of Music (Choral Conducting/Director of Choral Activities) (T/TE)

The University of Arizona School of Music invites applications for a full-time Tenure-Track Assistant or Tenured Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities.

The successful candidate will be an artist as a choral conductor with a growing record of sustained excellence in choral performance, teaching, and scholarship, success providing leadership or administrative oversight within a choral program at the university level and ability to work collaboratively with faculty and staff, and who will recruit and teach outstanding undergraduate and graduate students, create/maintain an active national profile as a choral conductor, scholar, and pedagogue, teach graduate choral conducting, choral literature, weekly lessons and seminar for MM and DMA students, and related duties as assigned by the Director of the school.

The School of Music is accredited by NASM and is one of the country's top comprehensive music programs, home to approximately 60 innovative faculty members who are leaders in their fields as educators, scholars, and active performers, 300 undergraduate music majors, and 130 master's and doctoral students. An all-Steinway School, we provide multiple performance spaces, recording studio, and Yamaha digital keyboard lab. Recent faculty accolades include Leonard Bernstein Scholar-in-Residence at the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Sudler Award for the Pride of Arizona Marching Band, and Symphonic Choir's performance for the National Collegiate Choral Organization. Current students and alumni have won national and international competitions, presented and performed at the invitation of professional organizations, and earned awards for their research. Learn more by visiting music.arizona.edu.

The School of Music is part of the Arizona Arts division, which serves as a gateway to visual and performing arts experiences, programs, and assets at the University of Arizona (U of A). Arizona Arts offers the opportunity to work with people of many different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We foster opportunity and excellence in the arts with a commitment to success for every student, research that shapes the future, and community engagement.

Visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

Outstanding U of A benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; sick leave and holidays; U of A/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to U of A recreation and cultural activities; and more!

The University of Arizona has been recognized for our innovative work-life programs. For more information about working at the University of Arizona and relocations services, please click here.

The
Director of Choral Activities serves as an artistic, pedagogical, and
administrative leader within the School of Music. The successful candidate will
demonstrate excellence in choral conducting and teaching, effective
collaborative leadership, and a record of creative activity and scholarly
inquiry. Candidates should show an emerging or developing national profile and
a demonstrated ability to prepare graduate conductors for successful careers as
artists, educators, and scholars.

Relevant
experience may be gained in university, school, professional, community,
nonprofit, religious, or independent music settings. Prior university
employment is not required. The successful candidate will bring evidence of
advanced teaching, graduate mentorship, and leadership experience appropriate
for a comprehensive university choral program.

As
a Hispanic-Serving Institution, the University of Arizona values teaching,
mentorship, and engagement that effectively serve the diverse students and
communities of the region. The successful candidate will demonstrate a
commitment to student success through inclusive teaching and mentoring
practices, recruitment and retention efforts, curriculum development, and
meaningful engagement with students and musicians from backgrounds historically
underrepresented in higher education and music, including Hispanic/Latino
communities where applicable.

• Conduct the Symphonic Choir, the School of Music's premier choral ensemble, fostering artistic distinction, healthy vocal production, and a challenging yet supportive rehearsal environment.
• Teach graduate courses in choral conducting and choral literature; provide weekly individual instruction for MM and DMA conducting students; and lead a weekly seminar for the full conducting studio.
• Supervise the graduate choral conducting program, including qualifying, comprehensive, and dissertation examinations; mentor students through degree completion; and support their professional preparation and placement.
• Provide artistic and administrative leadership for the choral program in close collaboration with other choral faculty, establishing shared priorities for programming, recruitment, outreach, and program development.
• Recruit outstanding undergraduate and graduate students and cultivate sustained relationships with local and regional school choral directors, community ensembles, and other educational and artistic partners.
• Collaborate with applied voice faculty and colleagues across the School of Music to support students' vocal development, coordinate performance commitments, and create interdisciplinary opportunities.
• Develop programming and educational experiences that engage a broad range of musical traditions and connect meaningfully with the university, local communities, and the broader profession.
• Develop and maintain a national profile through conducting, creative activity, scholarship, and professional engagement.
• Contribute to service within the School of Music, the College, and the University, and perform other duties as assigned by the Director.

• An earned doctoral degree.
• Evidence of artistic excellence in choral conducting and effective rehearsal instruction.
• Evidence of effective teaching and mentorship, with readiness to provide graduate instruction in conducting and choral literature.
• Experience providing leadership or administrative coordination within a choral program or organization, with evidence of productive collaboration.
• Evidence of effective recruitment and mentorship practices that support artistic growth, educational advancement, and professional preparation.
• Evidence of effective teaching or mentoring of participants from underrepresented backgrounds, supported by specific examples of practices and outcomes.Evidence of creative achievement and scholarly inquiry with a clear trajectory toward national recognition.Evidence of readiness to guide graduate research and undertake university examination, advising, and program administration responsibilities.
• Evidence of a student-centered approach to teaching, mentorship, and program leadership that supports student success, belonging, retention, degree completion, and/or professional development.

• Demonstrated success recruiting and developing singers or conductors from varied musical, educational, and cultural backgrounds, with evidence of artistic achievement, educational advancement, sustained participation, or professional preparation.
  
• Experience providing advanced conducting instruction, teaching choral literature, or mentoring research through courses, individual instruction, workshops, master classes, or other structured educational settings.
  
• Experience developing, assessing, and refining teaching or mentoring practices that support participants from underrepresented backgrounds, including Hispanic/Latino participants where applicable.
  
• Experience coordinating comprehensive choral programming, recruitment, outreach, and resources in collaboration with artistic or educational colleagues
  
• Experience conducting instrumental ensembles in choral-orchestral repertoire or interdisciplinary performance projects.
  
• Evidence of emerging national recognition through invited conducting or teaching engagements, performances, publications, or other relevant professional accomplishments.
  
• Active contributions to professional organizations, networks, or collaborative initiatives that advance choral performance and education, such as the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO), or National Association for Music Education (NAfME).
  

Semifinalists will be asked to provide approximately 10 minutes of teaching on a choral literature topic. Candidates may submit an existing recording from an educational setting or a newly recorded teaching demonstration. The committee will provide common instructions and evaluate subject knowledge, organization, clarity, and pedagogical effectiveness. Finalists will participate in a live ensemble rehearsal and a teaching demonstration appropriate to graduate conducting instruction. Interviews will assess readiness to mentor graduate research, support degree completion and professional preparation, and undertake university program administration. Throughout the selection process, accomplishments will be evaluated with consideration of the contexts and opportunities in which candidates have worked.