Vacancy for Conductor

Epsom Chamber Choir is seeking to appoint a new Conductor with effect from September 2012, as our current MD, Michael Stevenson, is stepping down after more than 20 years in the role.

This is an outstanding opportunity to direct a highly-regarded auditioned choir which is ambitious and hard-working, performing a challenging repertoire to a very high standard.

Applicants should be experienced choral directors with a wide knowledge of the choral repertoire. We are looking for an enthusiastic and innovative musician with vision, able to motivate and develop choir members in rehearsals and inspire them in performance.

Applications are invited from interested persons, who should send their applications in writing to the Chair: Mr Dick Bacon, 10 Lower Road, Fetcham, Surrey KT22 9EJ.

Your application should include a full CV, including names and addresses of two referees (who will be contacted in the case of those short-listed). In addition, applicants should include a 'sample' programme that the interviewee feels would be appropriate for the Choir. In your covering letter you also should state why you are interested in applying for the post.

The closing date for applications is 11 February 2012.

Long-listed candidates will be interviewed by the Choir's selection panel on Saturday, 25 February 2012. Those candidates chosen for the final shortlist (expected to be no more than 4 candidates) will be invited for auditions with the Choir on the evenings of Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 March 2012.

For any further details, please contact the Chair, preferably by e-mail on: chair@epsomchamberchoir.org.uk or by telephone on 01372 373644.

Job Description for Position of Conductor

The Conductor is required to work with and develop the Choir with the aim of bringing public performances to the highest possible standard.

Conductor's Responsibilities Choir Committee's Responsibilities Remuneration

Typically, the Choir rehearses for about eight to ten weeks before each concert. The Conductor's remuneration is £72 for each Thursday rehearsal and £300 for each termly concert. Where the Choir is paid to perform, such as at Clandon Park and the Ritz, the Conductor receives one-third of the fee paid to the Choir. The remuneration is reviewed annually by the Committee.

It is intended that the appointment should commence from September 2012.

About Epsom Chamber Choir

Epsom Chamber Choir was formed in 1969, and is a registered charity (no. 1026721) and is affiliated to Making Music. We are a choir of around 35 voices based in Epsom, Surrey, aiming to perform at least six concerts each year, one each term and at least three performances for the Christmas season, which traditionally includes two fund-raising concerts at Clandon Park, a National Trust property near to Guildford. Most concerts are held at the church of St Martin of Tours, Epsom, but other venues have included St James' Piccadilly, and others local to Epsom. In addition, we have been invited to sing choral evensong on occasions at various cathedrals including St Paul's, Winchester, Ely, Southwark and most recently St Alban's in May 2009.

We have also toured abroad, including Paris, Ghent, and in May 2010 we visited Brussels where we sang in the Cathedral of Saint Michael and Saint Gudula and the Church of Notre Dame of Laken.

We rehearse each Thursday evening from 8 - 10 pm at The Vale School, Beaconsfield Road, Langley Vale, Surrey KT18 6HP. The range and styles of music performed is large and we have sung music by composers as different as Arvo Pärt and 'Fats' Waller. Our repertoire has included many of the classics such the Fauré, Duruflé, Brahms and Martin masses and Rachmaninov Vespers, and the choir is of a sufficient standard to have sung some challenging and complex music. For a full list of past programmes refer to the web site at: http://www.epsomchamberchoir.org.uk/past.php

The Choir has a regular following, and attendance at concerts varies between around 60 to 150, depending upon the type of music and competing events. In June 2008 the Choir invited participants from other local choirs to join in a fund-raising event for the Royal Marsden Hospital, where we performed an evening of music by JS Bach, which attracted an audience of over 250. The Choir has good relationships with other local choirs, and as well as fund-raising events, an annual 'Come & Sing' event is held in June each year when a choral piece is sung from scratch (in 2011 it was Rossini's Petite Messe Solonnelle, when we had around 70 singers in attendance, and Choir members undertook the solo parts).

The Choir Committee has nine members who are responsible for various tasks including: secretary, treasurer, librarian, front of house, publicity, refreshments, etc. Membership to the Choir is by audition, and new recruits are expected to have good sight-reading ability. Re-auditions occur around every three years. Three termly subscriptions, currently at £45, are paid. At the end of March 2011, the Choir held funds of just over £5,000, boosted by the sale of our latest CD, 'Summertime', which was produced in 2009. In the past, the Committee have decided to undertake one 'major' concert each year, enabling us to perform with a professional chamber orchestra or other instrumentalists. Other concerts will often include professional soloists (or members of the Choir taking on solos), and the accompaniment of pianist or organist.

The Choir is very sociable, and apart from the tour and cathedral visits which are great opportunities for socialising, a Choir party is organised, usually on the Thursday following a concert, which is held at the home of one of our members. There is also a regular number that will head off to a local hostelry after rehearsals.