Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition

The Music Department at Wellesley College seeks a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Music Theory and Composition, beginning July 1, 2023.  

The ideal candidate is someone who actively pursues both creative and scholarly projects in the fields of music theory, composition, performance, ethnomusicology, or some combination, with enthusiasm for teaching music in a small liberal arts environment with a diverse student body.  Candidates with ideas and ambitions for contributing to the Wellesley Music Department’s long-term goal to create a more inclusive, equitable music theory curriculum are especially encouraged to apply. We are interested in candidates who approach the discipline of music theory from a global perspective, including engagement with both the Western European art music tradition as well as jazz, popular, and Indigenous musical practices.   Preference will be given to candidates with a doctoral degree in Music.

Located just outside of Boston, Wellesley College is a highly selective women’s college with ties to many neighboring institutions such as Harvard, MIT, Olin, and Babson College, making it an ideal place for artist-scholars to thrive professionally and personally. The Wellesley Music Department serves a wide variety of students across its campus, from active performers in ensembles to emerging composers, ethnomusicologists, historical musicologists, and music theorists, as well as students interested in digital media, sound art, and music for films and video games. Wellesley music majors have gone on to pursue graduate studies in music composition, theory, performance, music technology, and scholarship at top conservatories and research universities.  The Music Department also supports a significant population of non-majors with interests in music, many of whom perform in Wellesley’s choir, orchestra, jazz ensembles, chamber music society, Collegium Musicum, and Haitian drumming and dance ensemble Yanvalou.  Many of our students have interdisciplinary interests, including the neuroscience and psychology of music, music’s relationship to the political and social sciences, the economics of music, copyright and entertainment law, music and religious studies, and music and language/area studies. We seek a faculty colleague who is interested in mentoring a variety of students with a broad range of musical interests and ambitions.

To submit an application, please submit the following materials at https://www.wellesley.edu/hr/jobseekers: a cover letter, CV, a statement about teaching philosophy, a sample syllabus, and one or both of the following:   one sample composition (with score, if relevant, plus a recording or video), and/or one writing sample (either a dissertation chapter or, if applicable, a published article). In addition, please provide the names/email addresses of three references who will be contacted for letters of recommendation.  If you are a composer submitting a score with recording or video, please create a shareable Google Drive folder that is open to anyone with the link, and upload a PDF or Word document with a link to that shared Google Drive folder pasted inside.

If there are difficulties submitting online, please contact working@wellesley.edu for assistance.  Questions about the position should be addressed to the search chair, Professor Jenny Olivia Johnson, at jjohnso3@wellesley.edu. Applications received on or before October 10, 2022 will receive first consideration. 

Wellesley College is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to increasing the diversity of the college community and the curriculum. Candidates who believe they can contribute to that goal are encouraged to apply.

All employees hired after August 2, 2021 are required to upload proof of vaccination and booster against COVID‐19, subject to approved medical or religious exemptions or disability accommodations.