Associate Choral Leader (Community Choirs)

September 2024 – June 2025

This new training programme provides an opportunity for an emerging choral conductor or vocal leader to help establish new community choir initiatives in the Diocese of Manchester whilst being offered regular intensive support and training with the music team at St Martin-in-the-Fields in London.

The Associate Choral Leader (Diocese of Manchester Community Choirs) is aimed at choral conductors or vocal animateurs who are in the first few years of a professional career, and wish to develop their skills to a high level. This will include developing stand-alone community choirs in St Stephen Audenshaw and Oldham Parish Church.

This is part of a wider project called ‘Sing my Soul’, which aims to develop new music and faith initiatives in a number of churches in the Diocese of Manchester.   

St Martin-in-the-Fields Associate Choral Leader Training Programme

Approximately six times a term, you will receive professional development training alongside other Choral Leaders from around the UK. Over the past year, workshops have included conducting technique training with Eamonn Dougan and Neil Ferris, working with children’s voices with Laurel Neighbour, vocal health workshops with Charlotte Mobbs and programming for liturgy with Tim Ruffer. This programme is overseen by Assistant Director of Music, Olivia Tait. This programme is a hybrid model of online and in-person, with approcimately three online workshops and three in-person workshops each term.

Requirements

We wish to appoint a Choral Leader for 2024-25:

• To work with the music team of St Martin’s to create and develop the Diocese of Manchester community choir programme.
• To encourage the integration of this new community outreach with the wider life and mission of the different churches.
• To have entrepreneurial drive to identify new choral opportunities in the different church communities. 
• To attend St Martin-in-the-Fields for training and development on approximately six afternoons each term (on Tuesday afternoons)

There will be the opportunity to shape the work around the skills of the Associate Choral Leader, working alongside the needs of the project as a whole.

Schedule 

The main schedule revolves around two weekday evenings, as well as some Sundays and Tuesday afternoons.

• Six times a term (three online, three in person) on Tuesday afternoons between 2.00 and 5.00pm you will be based at St Martin-in-the-Fields for development and training.
• Some Sunday commitments in both churches.
• Two weekday evening rehearsals (in agreement with the churches and the Associate Choral Leader)

Through and since the pandemic, St Martin’s and Diocese of Manchester have established a hybrid model of in-person and online worship. All of the services and events may also be either live-streamed or recorded for future broadcast on our social media channels.

Term dates

This is a nine-month programme running from September 2024 to June 2025.

Other dates required may include carol services in December, and services during Easter and Holy Week. These dates will be confirmed before the start of each term. 

Honorarium and condition

We envisage this being a two day a week role in term time. The Associate Choral Leader receives an honorarium of £7,500 paid in three equal instalments in December, April and June.

The costs of travel down to London for the in-person workshops will be covered by St Martin-in-the-Fields. In addition, a travel subsidy of up to £500 per year is offered for travel to Oldham and Audenshaw.
 
Throughout this period, you will be an Associate Choral Leader and considered to be a freelancer and not an employee. Nothing in this programme is intended to create a relationship of employer and employee between you and St Martin-in-the-Fields or the Diocese of Manchester.

The Choral Leadership will run from September 2024 to June 2025. It will be renewed in exceptional circumstances subject to re-interview. You will work under the supervision of the Director of Music and Assistant Director of Music of St Martin-in-the-Fields.

Eligibility

The scheme is aimed at choral conductors who are in the first stage of a professional career and wish to develop their skills to a high level, particularly in working with community choirs. In particular, we are looking for:

• Relevant vocal leading experience, and some choral conducting experience
• Ability to work with and develop community choirs
• Enthusiasm for working as a member of a team, together with a willingness to develop their own musical talent
• Experience in administration and organization, working alongside the St Martin’s Music Administrator and local clergy to maximise the success of the community choir initiatives
• Ability to work in sympathy with the aims and the ethos of the Church of England and Diocese of Manchester
• A basic level of keyboard skills is required (e.g. to be able to lead a rehearsal from the keyboard).

Safeguarding

The Associate Choral Leader will work within the Church of England’s safeguarding framework. They will need to adhere to the safeguarding requirements of the Diocese of Manchester, including undertaking all training required by the diocese and co-operating with the clergy and safeguarding officers. An enhanced DBS will be required.

Our ambition is to work together to promote a more inclusive environment, which attracts all candidates and signals our commitment to celebrate and promote diversity. We particularly encourage applications from those who are currently underrepresented within choral music.

To apply

Please return this application form, along with a current CV, by email to Phoebe Palmer, Music Administrator at choirs@smitf.org by Monday 3^rd June at 12 noon at the latest. 

Shortlisted applicants will be asked to direct a short choral rehearsal, and undertake an interview. Auditions will take place Friday 7^th June (London) and Wednesday 12^th June (Manchester).