Cappella Newcastle, a long-established and thriving amateur chamber choir based in Newcastle upon Tyne, wishes to appoint a new Musical Director in advance of the start of the 2026-27 season in September 2026. We are looking for a confident choral conductor with exceptional musicianship, strong creative vision and an innovative approach to programming, who will be committed to leading the choir forward with energy and enthusiasm.

Interested candidates to email a CV and personal statement to recruitment@cappellanewcastle.org.uk

Deadline for applications noon Friday 1 May 2026

Duties:

1. Attend to the needs of the choir in terms of vocal quality, expression, phrasing, pitching and ensemble. Do a regular warm-up at rehearsals and work on voice production in a planned and purposeful way for the long term.
2. Lead on recruitment and auditions, with support from the Committee; to include regular auditions for existing members to ensure consistent high quality.
3. In consultation with the committee, select a musical programme for each concert, and if required engage an organist, instrumental players or solo singers.
4. Work with committee to develop distinctive creative vision / aesthetic for each concert.
5. Plan and conduct weekly rehearsals or equivalent during school terms (approx 30 weeks per year) and occasional Saturday workshops.
6. Conduct the choir, with orchestral players if any, in concert performances and other engagements as planned season by season.
7. Attend committee meetings (approx. monthly) for the purposes of planning, strategy, budgeting and agreeing on policies and systems.
8. Provide written notes on concert repertoire for publicity purposes and text for concert programmes when required.
9. Support the choir’s social media activity by facilitating the capturing of content during rehearsals and by sharing posts on their own streams if/when applicable.

Renumeration and Benefits:

• £4500 /annum (payable in termly instalments), equating to £1500 per term
• Agreed out of pocket expenses will be reimbursed on submission of receipts
• For additional ad hoc engagements such as weddings, funerals and church services, or for any other additional responsibilities, a fee may be negotiated with the Committee.

Personal Specification:

Essential

• be a confident singer with good technique, a good listening ear to detect errors, and good sight-reading skills.
• be an all-round musician, with knowledge of relevant composers and their music.
• have experience of conducting and voice-training an amateur choir with mixed abilities.
• have a good stock of patience and a sense of humour, be a good communicator and able to enthuse singers.
• have good ideas for repertoire and assist the librarian in sourcing sheet music.
• have a vision for the future, to stretch the choir and take it in new directions.
• be punctual and a good organiser of time.
• be able to work co-operatively with the committee.
• have two good references from relevant sources.

Desirable

• be able to play the piano to assist the choir in rehearsing more challenging passages.