Choir Leader – Job Description

We are looking for inspiring, highly musical Choir Leaders to launch new Great Yorkshire Chorus choirs across West Yorkshire from 2027.

You'll lead a weekly rehearsal, teach arrangements by ear, build a strong musical and social community, and lead your choir in performances throughout the year.

This is an exciting opportunity for a confident musician who loves working with adult singers and wants to combine musical excellence with a genuinely inclusive and enjoyable choir experience.

About the Great Yorkshire Chorus

The Great Yorkshire Chorus is a vibrant community choir based in West Yorkshire. Founded in 2018 by Maria Mullin, our original choir in Saltaire is made up of over 100 members and runs on an ethos of fun, inclusivity and high musical achievement.

The choir regularly performs around the region and takes part in a range of fantastic projects, including collaborations with other choirs, orchestras and two choir tours to the Edinburgh Fringe.

Our aim is to strike the perfect balance between enjoyment and musical excellence - we truly believe we can do both.

In 2027 we will begin a new chapter and aim to replicate our success by creating new Great Yorkshire Chorus choirs across the region. To do this we need outstanding musicians who share our ethos to join our team as Choir Leaders. We are now recruiting in the West Yorkshire area.

At GYC we work hard to provide our members with life-affirming musical experiences that create new friendships and lasting memories. Our goal is to create warm and welcoming communities where people can belong and share in their love of singing. We believe that everyone has a valuable voice and aim to be as inclusive as we can. This means that we don’t audition, and we learn mostly by ear using lyrics sheets, supported by practice audio tracks for our singers. But we are also highly aspirational and work hard to create the best sound we possibly can. Our choirs are open to anyone aged 18 or over.

Our repertoire includes many well-known pop songs, but we also like to share a broad range of styles with our singers, so we include folk, gospel and world music too. Most of our arrangements are bespoke and tailored to bring out the best in the voices we work with.

All of our choirs will work on the same pieces each term, with arrangements provided to our leaders. This will mean that singers from any choir will easily be able to join any other GYC choir for a rehearsal or performance. We are excited that this will only increase the singing opportunities for members of all GYC choirs.

We look forward to regular meet ups for our choirs (‘Great Big Chorus’), which will take place twice a year. These events will be a fantastic opportunity for our choirs to sing together, build friendships and work with the different choir leaders in our team. Each choir will also have many other performing opportunities through the year, including local events in the community and large joint concerts with all the choirs together.

The Great Yorkshire Chorus is operated by our parent company, Great Yorkshire Arts Ltd.

The Choir Leader Role

As a Choir Leader you will lead your own Great Yorkshire Chorus choir in weekly evening rehearsals during term time and performances.

It will be your job to create a welcoming and positive atmosphere and help singers of all musical abilities develop their skills and work together to achieve a high musical standard.

What makes a great GYC Choir Leader?

We're looking for musicians who can communicate music clearly, inspire confidence and bring out the very best in their singers.

You'll be equally comfortable demonstrating a vocal part, playing a chord progression on the keyboard, breaking down a tricky harmony, encouraging a nervous singer and getting a room full of people excited about performing.

Most importantly, you'll understand that a great choir is about both the music and the people.

Key Responsibilities:

• Plan and lead weekly rehearsals
• Teach music effectively by ear using lyric sheets, backing tracks and keyboard
• Develop singers across a range of musical abilities and help the choir achieve a high musical standard
• Create an inclusive, welcoming and positive rehearsal environment
• Lead the choir at performances and other events
• Complete rehearsal registers and communicate with the GYC administration team as required
• Work collaboratively with the GYC team and other Choir Leaders
• Attend required training and team development sessions

Essential:

• Commitment to creating an inclusive, welcoming and enjoyable choir environment
• Highly skilled musician who shares our ethos of fun and musical excellence
• Confident vocal skills and the ability to teach several vocal parts by ear
• Confident keyboard skills sufficient to accompany rehearsals and support learning
• Ability to teach and motivate adult singers with a wide range of musical experience
• Ability to work collaboratively with other GYC Choir Leaders and the wider team
• Willingness to continue learning and improving as a music leader
• Reliable, organised and able to commit to weekly rehearsals, performances and required training

Desirable:

• A degree in music or equivalent professional experience
• Experience in conducting
• Experience leading choirs
• Experience working with mixed ability adult choirs
• Vocal training

Job Details

Rehearsal locations of new choirs will be discussed and agreed with successful applicants during the interview process. We aim to match choir leaders with areas that are most accessible to them, within West Yorkshire.

You will be provided with musical arrangements, including scores to teach from, lyric sheets for your singers and audio tracks available to your members for home practice.

Membership admin support will be provided by our team, meaning that you can focus your energy on the music and working with your singers each week.

Weekly evening rehearsals run 7.45pm – 9.30pm, 40 weeks of the year during school term time, plus concerts and training events to be agreed in advance

You will be managed and supported by Maria Mullin, founder and director of the Great Yorkshire Chorus.

Opportunity to Grow

Each Choir Leader will initially lead one new GYC choir. As your choir becomes established, there may be opportunities to lead additional GYC choirs on other weekday evenings, allowing the role and associated income to grow according to your availability and the needs of the organisation.

Salary & Benefits

• This is an employed position
• £100 per weekly rehearsal, including preparation (40 per year)
• £150 per concert (dates to be discussed as they arise – expected to be around 5 per year)
• £100 per day of training (two days per year)
• Membership growth bonus – additional payments are made as membership grows beyond 30 singers. Full details will be explained during the recruitment process.
• Pension contributions

Important notes

• Applicants must have the right to work in the UK
• Applicants must have a driving licence and be able to travel to rehearsal/performance venues
• Applicants must provide their own rehearsal equipment (basic PA system for backing tracks, keyboard, microphone)

Rehearsal and performance dates will be provided as far in advance as possible. Further details of preparation, travel and equipment expectations will be discussed with shortlisted candidates.

How to apply and closing date

To apply, please send the following to maria@greatyorkshirechorus.co.uk:

• Your CV
• A covering letter stating why you would be suitable, including the locations or areas you would be willing to lead a choir in within West Yorkshire.
• A short video of you conducting, leading a musical group or performing, which demonstrates your relevant musical skills.

• CLOSING DATE Tuesday 13th October 2026