Assist Professor of Viola

The School of Music, Theatre, and Dance (SMTD) at Colorado State University empowers students to create, collaborate, innovate, and inspire. Through teaching, creative artistry, research, advocacy, and service, we elevate arts education. SMTD has 46 tenured and tenure-track faculty as well as 55 contract, continuing and adjunct faculty. There are currently over 550 students in SMTD, with 375 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in music degree programs.

The College of Liberal Arts, within which the school is located, is the largest college in the University. It is a community of arts, humanities, and social science scholars who create and extend knowledge and artistry that develops reflective citizens and confident leaders. We value diversity and inclusion in the workplace, aspiring to a productive environment in which everyone feels valued, where their talents are fully utilized, and where all individuals can bring their full selves to the role. We promote the CSU Principles of Community – Inclusion, Integrity, Respect, Service, and Social Justice – https://inclusiveexcellence.colostate.edu/resources/principles-of-community/. We therefore encourage applications from all individuals who share these values and we prioritize a fair and equitable search process that strengthens a diverse, creative, and effective community. Colorado State University (CSU) is a land grant institution with a student enrollment of approximately 30,000 students in over 150 programs, and a faculty numbering 1,700.

SMTD is housed in the University Center for the Arts, a nationally recognized state-of the art 350,000 square foot facility, that includes a 550-seat concert hall, a 275-seat organ and chamber music recital hall, a 320-seat thrust theatre, a 100-seat black box theatre, a 200-seat dance theatre, dedicated rehearsal, production and research spaces, along with classrooms, labs and practice rooms.

CSU is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, a beautiful city of approximately 175,000 located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, 65 miles north of Denver. MarketWatch has listed Fort Collins as the “No. 1 Best Place to Live in America in 2020,” and was also ranked No. 1 for the “2020 Top 100 Places to Live in America” by Livability.com. Additionally, Fort Collins is in America’s top ten for best performing city, safest for driving and cycling, best place to raise a family, and No. 1 in the country for reducing harmful emissions by using alternative fuels and transportation. CSU was recently ranked first among Colorado-based educational employers and fifth among all in-state employers in Forbes magazine’s “America’s Best Employers by State!”
Colorado State University is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music.

The School of Music, Theatre, and Dance at Colorado State University invites applications for the position of Assistant Professor of Viola. This is a tenure-track, nine-month appointment, beginning August 16, 2025.

Primary responsibilities will include teaching, recruiting, and maintaining an undergraduate and graduate viola studio; teaching weekly studio class; coaching chamber music ensembles; and teaching graduate viola literature as needed on a rotational basis. The successful candidate will be expected to maintain a record of creative artistry in viola performance commensurate with a Research 1 institution, both outside of the University and within the School of Music, Theatre and Dance.

Depending on enrollment in the viola studio, additional teaching responsibilities may be assigned in an additional area of music based on the candidate’s training and experience, and based on the needs of the department.

Colorado State University seeks to recruit and retain a diverse and inclusive workforce as a reflection of our commitment to serve the people of Colorado, to maintain the excellence of the University, and to offer our students richly varied disciplines, perspectives, and ways of knowing and learning.

The successful candidate will be a part of a dynamic and collaborative faculty environment and will demonstrate the ability to collaborate on many levels, including performing in faculty chamber ensembles, as well as ongoing collaborations with the string faculty and ensemble directors.
Candidates will be expected to participate in the shared governance of SMTD, support curriculum development, mentor students, and advance the reputation and visibility of the University nationally and internationally.

Advancement in rank at Colorado State University requires ongoing professional performance activity, effective teaching and advising, and departmental and university service.

Required Job Qualifications    
Earned Master of Music Degree in Viola performance and/or pedagogy
At least one year of post-secondary teaching experience in applied viola
At least one year of professional performance experience as a violist
Effective written skills

Preferred Job Qualifications    
Earned Doctorate in viola performance and/or pedagogy or ABD conferred no later than August 16th, 2026
At least two years post-secondary teaching experience
At least two years professional experience as a performing violist with evidence of artistic excellence
Effective oral communication skills 
Demonstrated ability to teach applied viola and chamber music at both the undergraduate and graduate level
Evidence of commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
Evidence of ability to teach a secondary area
Evidence of, or demonstrated ability to create strategies for recruiting and maintaining appropriate numbers of quality students within a viola studio
Demonstrated ability to create strategies to build relationships with PK-12 educators and youth orchestras in the state of Colorado

CSU is committed to full inclusion of qualified individuals. If you are needing assistance or accommodations with the search process, please reach out to the listed search contact.

Please note, applicants may redact information from their application materials that identifies their age, date of birth, or dates of attendance at or graduation from an educational institution.

Essential Duties
Job Duty Category    Teaching/Advising
Duty/Responsibility    
Teaching, recruiting, and maintaining an undergraduate and graduate viola studio; teaching weekly studio class; coaching chamber music ensembles; and teaching graduate viola literature as needed on a rotational basis. Depending on enrollment in the viola studio, additional teaching responsibilities may be assigned in an additional area of music based on the candidate’s training and experience, and based on the needs of the department.
Percentage Of Time    50

Job Duty Category    Research/Creative Activities
Duty/Responsibility    
The successful candidate will be expected to maintain a record of creative artistry in viola performance commensurate with a Research 1 institution, both outside of the University and within the School of Music, Theatre and Dance. The successful candidate will be a part of a dynamic and collaborative faculty environment and will demonstrate the ability to collaborate on many levels, including performing in faculty chamber ensembles, as well as ongoing collaborations with the string faculty and ensemble directors.

Percentage Of Time    35
Job Duty Category    Service/Outreach
Duty/Responsibility    
Candidates will be expected to participate in the shared governance of SMTD, support curriculum development, mentor students, and advance the reputation and visibility of the University nationally and internationally.

Percentage Of Time    15
References Requested
References Requested
Minimum Requested    
Maximum Requested    
Supplemental Questions
Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).