Employment
Permanent & Ongoing Employment Opportunities
The NHSO is an Equal Opportunity Employer and anti-racist organization that fights hate, racism, and bigotry in all forms through our words, music, and actions. We strongly encourage non-traditional candidates to apply. Facility in a second language given strong consideration.
In addition to the open positions below, NHSO continually offers Student Internships.
For information about auditions for the orchestra’s musician roster, click here.
To view other local job opportunities in the arts click here.
Position Announcement: Music Director
The New Haven Symphony Orchestra welcomes nominations and applications for the position of Music Director, available beginning in the 2024-2025 season.
The Position
The NHSO Music Director reports directly to the Board and is responsible for the fulfillment of the orchestra’s artistic potential and its image in the community. The Music Director is responsible for repertoire selection, programming, and artistic production. Subject to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Music Director has ultimate authority for the selection, development, and replacement of musicians. Each of these activities serves to further the NHSO’s core value of artistic excellence.
As the orchestra’s artistic leader, the Music Director must build and sustain the orchestra’s visibility and engagement with the community. The Music Director is expected to work closely with the Chief Executive Officer, Board President, and staff in carrying out these responsibilities and to participate actively in the orchestra’s fundraising activities.
Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate will possess exceptional musicianship and conducting skills; significant conducting experience (with professional musicians); and knowledge of a broad range of symphonic repertoire including new works by American composers. The ideal candidate will achieve success through strong interpersonal, leadership, and communication skills; vision, passion, and the ability to make symphonic music relevant and exciting for existing and new audiences. A deep commitment to music education and to the tenets of diversity, equity, and inclusion will be key to that success. Previous or current music directorship or comparable experience preferred.
The Orchestra
The New Haven Symphony Orchestra, the fourth oldest orchestra in the United States, has performed continuously since 1895. Its roster of professional musicians has trained at top conservatories and schools across the globe. The NHSO is a regional orchestra that delivers concerts and education services across the state of Connecticut, with a particular focus on contemporary American music. The NHSO’s commitment to new works has been recognized with two ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming in recent seasons and our commissioning program has allowed the NHSO to support the creation of and perform World Premieres of 20 new American works in the past 12 years.
The NHSO is an Equal Opportunity Employer and anti-racist organization that fights hate, racism, and bigotry in all forms through our words, music, and actions. Our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion informs all of our work. The NHSO is one of only 9 orchestras nationwide to be awarded back-to-back Futures Fund grants for innovation and our diversity, equity, and inclusion work has been presented to the field at League of American Orchestras meetings. In 2017, the NHSO Board established the Harmony Fellowship program with the support of this grant from the League of American Orchestras. The Harmony Program offers a two-year fellowship for promising diverse violinists, violists, and cellists who are pursuing careers in orchestral performance. Fellows rehearse and perform with rostered NHSO musicians during each concert season, while receiving valuable mentoring, audition, coaching, and education and community engagement training. The newly created Helen E. Hagan Fund for Underrepresented Musicians will provide sustaining funds for the Harmony fellowships while amplifying Helen Hagan’s extraordinary musical legacy in perpetuity.
Music Education is central to the NHSO’s mission. The orchestra is Connecticut’s largest provider of curriculum-enhancing music education services, partnering with 42 school districts to implement Teacher’s Resources that support achievement of State and National Core Arts Standards. The NHSO’s fulltime Education Director has developed on-line educational opportunities that have proved especially popular across the country, and internationally, during the COVID pandemic.
The NHSO is a per-service orchestra with a core of 65 tenured musicians, represented by the AFM under a Collective Bargaining Agreement. Annual programming has traditionally included a Classical Series of eight programs, some with run-out performances in nearby venues; four Pops programs, each performed in two to three venues; Young Peoples Concerts performed since 1938 around the State and reaching almost 10,000 school children in four cities each Spring; and free Family Concerts for young children in two cities. The NHSO has embraced the realities of the COVID pandemic as an opportunity to innovate. For example, new outdoor, chamber music performances at the Canal Dock in New Haven have received a very positive response as we look for additional ways to connect with our diverse community. In this 2021-2022 season we are experimenting with new venues for our orchestral performances.
The NHSO operates on an annual budget of approximately $2.2 million and has for 9 of the past 10 years enjoyed positive operating results. The NHSO has significant operating cash reserves and Trusts invested on our behalf total over $18 million. We are a strong and stable organization with the resources to support excellent concerts and an innovative vision. The Board of Directors consists of 21 persons of diverse backgrounds who provide wide representation of the Greater New Haven area and its business, academic, and community institutions. The full-time administrative staff of eight persons has been led for the past ten years by Chief Executive Officer Elaine Carroll. Learn more about NHSO’s programs and initiatives at www.NewHavenSymphony.org and read our Strategic Plan HERE.
The Community
Greater New Haven consists of a cluster of 15 towns with a total population of 550,000 surrounding the City of New Haven, which has a population of 127,000. The region’s largest employers are Yale University and Yale-New Haven Hospital. Known for its vibrant intellectual and arts scene, fine restaurants, and historic landmarks, New Haven has more to offer visitors and residents than most cities many times its size. Among its many noted attractions are the Long Wharf, Yale Rep, and Shubert Theaters; the annual International Festival of Arts and Ideas; the Yale Center for British Art; the Yale University Art Gallery; and the Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History; and restaurants that run the gamut from world-famous pizza to award-winning international cuisines. A diverse population resides in a variety of neighborhoods and communities across the region, including seaside New England towns, quaint, rural/agricultural areas, and vibrant urban neighborhoods. New Haven County is home to the state’s largest cluster of small biosciences companies and is in the midst of a surge of real estate development in the downtown area.
The NHSO benefits from its proximity to Yale University and frequently partners with the Yale School of Music. In addition, it maintains working partnerships with Sacred Heart, Southern Connecticut, and New Haven universities. These institutions attract world-class talent to the area and foster an appreciation for innovation and creativity. This vibrancy allows a Music Director to find both artistic partners and financial support for innovative ideas.
Compensation
Compensation, including benefits, is competitive and commensurate with experience, scope of duties, and qualifications.
Applications
For full consideration, the deadline to apply is March 15, 2022. Preliminary applications should include: a letter describing candidate’s personal interest in the position and vision for the role of an orchestra in the community as well as a short resume and sample programs recently conducted by the candidate (including at least one education program). Delivery by electronic means is preferred. Those advanced from the screening round will be asked to provide three professional references, recordings, and links to online content, and a full season of recommended programming. No phone inquiries, please. The New Haven Symphony Orchestra is an equal opportunity employer and encourages diverse individuals to consider joining our team.
Submit Applications to:
New Haven Symphony Orchestra, 4 Hamilton Street, Floor 2, New Haven, CT 06511
Open Administrative & Production Positions
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House Managers (P/T)
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House Managers (P/T)
The NHSO is looking for experienced Front of House Managers for performances throughout the region. Concerts take place in New Haven, Hamden, Shelton, Madison, and other areas in the region and the NHSO offers Competitive hourly wages.
The NHSO is an Equal Opportunity Employer and anti-racist organization that fights hate, racism, and bigotry in all forms through our words, music, and actions. We strongly encourage non-traditional candidates to apply. Facility in a second language given strong consideration.
Please submit résumé and references to Operations@NewHavenSymphony.org.
