Job Description / Duties

The Division of Music in the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University invites applications for a professional and teaching faculty member at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor of Practice serving as Director of Opera Theatre beginning August 2025. The successful applicant will have demonstrated experience producing opera at the collegiate, national, and/or international level. Knowledge of standard and contemporary operatic repertoire is essential to this position.

Responsibilities:

1. Select and produce opera, light opera/musical theatre repertoire.
2. Teach related undergraduate and graduate courses, which may include opera literature, staging, acting, voice, or additional music courses in accordance with individual areas of expertise and departmental needs.
3. Opera Theatre program recruitment and outreach.
4. Administrative duties include oversight of production budgets, collaboration with production/design faculty, staff, and students.
5. Serve on University and Division committees as needed, as well as participate in curriculum development and assessment where appropriate.
6. Participate in the cultural and intellectual life of the Division, School, and University.
7. Perform other duties as assigned. Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Qualifications / Required Skills

Minimum Qualifications: Master’s degree in an opera-related discipline or significant professional production or performance experience in the operatic idiom. Demonstrable record of experience and success directing opera at the university or professional level as well as artistic standing in the field. Ability to recruit and teach a diverse student body of graduate and undergraduate students. Knowledge of standard (operatic) repertoire, as well as emerging works. Professional and collegial collaboration with peers is an important qualification for this position. 

Preferred Qualifications: Evidence of leading a successful university opera program. Demonstrated commitment to and/or success in working with diverse populations on campus and in the community. Evidence of leadership, communication, organizational, and management skills as demonstrated through successful recruitment and outreach efforts.

Additional Information

This is a Professional and Teaching faculty position. While it is not eligible for tenure, it has a three-tier promotion path and opportunity for long-term (five-year) contracts which may, at the top rank (Professor of Practice), be renewed annually contingent on job performance. Professional and Teaching faculty's primary responsibility is teaching, though courses may be substituted by significant service roles. Creative work and research are not expected, though they may be rewarded. 

Application: Upload the following to http://apply.interfolio.com/150662.

1. Cover letter
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Links to recent video examples of productions or scenes programs
4. Contact information for three references

To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by November 15, 2024. The committee will continue to accept applications until the position is filled. Hiring is contingent upon the satisfactory completion of a background check. Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Salary: Salary will be commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Contact Information

http://apply.interfolio.com/150662

Employer Profile

The Division of Music in the Meadows School of the Arts is a professional, comprehensive educational institution devoted to the advancement of music performance and scholarship, to the preparation of the next generation of music professionals, and to service in the artistic life of our community, our nation, and the world.

Founded in 1969, the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University is one of the foremost arts education institutions in the United States. The Meadows School offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in advertising, art, art history, arts management and arts entrepreneurship, creative computation, music, theatre, dance, film and media arts, public affairs & corporate communication, journalism and fashion journalism. The goal of the Meadows School of the Arts, as a comprehensive educational institution, is to prepare students to meet the demands of professional careers. The Meadows School is a leader in developing innovative outreach and community engagement programs, challenging its students to make a difference locally and globally by developing vital connections between art, entrepreneurship and change. The Meadows School of the Arts is also a convener for the arts in North Texas, serving as a catalyst for new collaborations and providing critical industry research.

SMU, a private nonsectarian university of roughly 12,000 students, is an inclusive and intellectually diverse community of teachers and scholars that values diverse research and creative agendas and is dedicated to academic excellence. SMU is located in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, a culturally rich arts and global business center and home to over eight million people, offering exceptional museums, diverse cultural attractions and a vibrant economy.  

SMU will not discriminate in any program or activity on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity and expression. The Executive Director for Access and Equity/Title IX Coordinator is designated to handle inquiries regarding nondiscrimination policies and may be reached at the Perkins Administration Building, Room 204, 6425 Boaz Lane, Dallas, TX 75205, 214-768-3601, accessequity@smu.edu.