Assistant Professor of Teaching - Choral Director

The Music Department at the University of California, Davis, invites applications for the position of full-time choral director at the level of Assistant Professor of Teaching (tenure track), beginning on July 1, 2023.

The primary responsibility will be directing the University Chorus (see http://chorus.ucdavis.edu/), consisting of UC Davis students and community members. The chorus performs at least three times per year, at the UC Davis Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, sometimes in conjunction with the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra or other departmental ensembles.

The choral director’s duties will include recruiting, auditioning, preparing the ensemble for performances, as well as the various administrative tasks associated with directing a large choir. Additional competencies are also welcome, such as proficiency in foreign languages, keyboard skills etc.
Additional teaching duties will include one or more of the following: MUS 142 (“University Chamber Singers”), MUS 145 (“Early Music Ensemble”), and/or academic courses based on department need and the candidate’s areas of expertise. It will also be possible for the candidate to form new vocal ensembles based on the expertise of the candidate.

Professor of Teaching positions at the University of California are designed to support our campuses’ academic mission by emphasizing excellence in undergraduate education. Traditional tenure track positions primarily emphasize professional contribution (e.g., research or creative works) while professors of teaching are expected to primarily support the teaching mission. As members of the Academic Senate, professors of teaching are also expected to serve on departmental and campus committees and to continue developing a national and international profile of professional accomplishments.

The new chorus director also has access to two endowments (approximately $25.000 annually) associated with the chorus. The chorus endowments have traditionally helped to offset rehearsal and concert expenses such as hiring soloists, accompanists etc, and have helped to offset students’ lesson fees and travel expenses for off-site concerts.

Numbering approximately 35,000 students, the community at UC Davis represents the expansive diversity of the state of California. We are seeking applicants who are excellent teachers, committed to collaboration, and whose vision of choral repertoire and performance practice is broadly inclusive. We are especially interested in candidates whose work engages with topics relevant to the community, including social justice and anti-racism. Applicants should have experience in teaching and working with individuals from diverse backgrounds, and contribute to the University's mission, vision, and core values.

The ideal candidate will have a master’s or doctoral degree in conducting, or in a related field, or have equivalent experience.

Applications should include a cover letter that summarizes the candidate’s relevant experience and outlines how the candidate might fulfill the requirements summarized above. Please also include a Curriculum Vitae, a list of three references, a Statement of Contributions to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and provide no more than five links to conducting videos of both rehearsals and concerts that best represent the candidate’s work.

Applications can be submitted electronically through the online application form found at: https://recruit.ucdavis.edu/JPF05279

Applications should be received by December 1, 2022, to ensure full consideration.

The University of California is committed to creating and maintaining a community dedicated to the advancement, application, and transmission of knowledge and creative endeavors through academic excellence, where all individuals who participate in University programs and activities can work and learn together in a safe and secure environment, free of violence, harassment, discrimination, exploitation, or intimidation. With this commitment, UC Davis conducts a reference check on all first choice candidates for Academic Senate Assistant Professor or Lecturer with Potential for Security of Employment, Steps 4, 5, or 6, or Acting Professor of Law positions. The reference check involves contacting the administration of the applicant’s previous institution(s) to ask whether there have been substantiated findings of misconduct that would violate the University’s Faculty Code of Conduct. To implement this process, UC Davis requires all applicants for any open search for assistant professor to complete, sign, and upload the form entitled “Authorization to Release Information” into RECRUIT as part of their application. If an applicant does not include the signed authorization with the application materials, the application will be considered incomplete, and as with any incomplete application, will not receive further consideration. Although all applicants for faculty recruitments must complete the entire application, only finalists considered for Academic Senate Assistant Professor or Lecturer with Potential for Security of Employment, Steps 4, 5, or 6, or Acting Professor of Law positions will be subject to reference checks.