Job Description / Duties

Assistant Professor of Music (Choral Conducting and Voice)

Description

The Department of Music at St. Olaf College invites applications for a full-time, tenure track position in Choral Conducting and Voice at the Assistant Professor level to begin August 2025. We seek candidates who exemplify excellence and community building in choral conducting and vocal pedagogy, and who demonstrate a strong interest in mentoring a new generation of choral singers, choral conductors, and music educators.

Regular teaching responsibilities for this position include conducting two choral ensembles (the Chapel Choir, an SATB-mixed voice choir of sophomores through seniors, and the Viking Chorus for first-year tenor/baritone/bass singers) or possibly a mix of other choral ensembles in the future. Other teaching opportunities may include, but are not limited to: applied voice (lessons), choral literature and/or choral conducting courses, interdisciplinary arts courses, music technology courses, first-year seminars, or Music and Social Justice, depending on the areas of the successful candidate's expertise. Additional responsibilities involve advising, committee service, and departmental obligations, including participation as a member of the St. Olaf Christmas Festival Artistic Committee.

Qualifications

Doctorate preferred or commensurate professional experience. The successful candidate will be a pedagogue and conductor of outstanding ability who will contribute proactively to the artistic and intellectual life of St. Olaf College. In particular, successful candidates will demonstrate, both in performance and in teaching, how excellent music-making and a liberal arts education are mutually beneficial in the life of undergraduate students. The candidate is expected to maintain a professional profile through artistic and/or scholarly activities. In addition to a proven record of success in conducting, the candidate will show a commitment to the mission of the department and college. Keyboard skills sufficient to support instruction are desirable.

About the Department

The Department of Music, fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music, is over 100 years strong, serving over 1000 students (music majors and non-majors) in the classroom and large and small ensembles. We offer a collaborative, inclusive, and student-centered learning environment as part of campus life that embraces the creative arts in general, and music in particular. St. Olaf College has a long legacy of musical excellence with seven choirs, two concert bands, two orchestras, two jazz bands, two handbell choirs, a collegium musicum, and a Javanese Gamelan Ensemble. Several of these ensembles travel the world, have earned the American Prize, and have been featured in Downbeat Magazine. Many of our students attend competitive graduate programs for music performance, musicology, conducting, and composition. A number of our music majors double major in other academic areas and pursue professional degrees in vocation beyond music.

The Department hosts approximately 180 concerts each academic year and is dedicated to providing transformative music experiences for majors, non-majors, and audience members. The Department offers a wide variety of majors, including Bachelor of Music in Performance, Music Education, Church Music, Composition, and Elective Studies, along with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Music that can include Emphasis in Theory and Composition or Musicology. Our curriculum, grounded in sound pedagogy of music theory and music history courses, seeks to meet the 21st-century student and has expanded to include such courses as African American Song Literature, Contemporary Vocal Styles, Somali Music and Dance, and Music and Social Justice. Recently, the department added a new major (Bachelor of Arts in Music and Social Impact) and a new concentration in musical theater. Additionally, we are wholeheartedly committed to our mission statement which supports inspiring musical experiences grounded in an inclusive liberal arts environment while challenging students to excel artistically and engage globally for lives within and beyond the professional music world.

For more information about the department, visit http://wp.stolaf.edu/music/.

Diversity

At St. Olaf, we are committed to equity and inclusion. We strive to be a campus of welcome where students, faculty, and staff thrive by bringing their full humanity—gender identity, sexuality, race, ethnicity, national origin, socioeconomic class, disability, religion, spirituality, and age—to the Hill each day. Our goal is to generate conversations and processes that over time create greater clarity, transparency, trust, cooperation, consensus, respect, and measurable outcomes. Practices that support this goal include listening, cultivating a growth mindset, respecting those with different views, being informed by data, and understanding that the work is ongoing, collaborative, organic, and ever evolving. We encourage applicants to familiarize themselves with our https://wp.stolaf.edu/equity-inclusion/ website to learn more about our commitment and to identify how you might contribute to these efforts.

How to Apply

A complete application includes the following:

References: Provide contact information for three professional references who can speak to your abilities in teaching and scholarship.

Supporting Documents and URLS:

• Cover letter outlining your qualifications and why you are interested in this particular position
• Curriculum vitae
• Links for up to four videos of rehearsals and performances you have conducted from the last 3-5 years, totaling between 20-30 minutes
• Diversity statement (500 word limit): Describe how you would contribute to the development of a diverse and inclusive learning community at our college through your teaching, research, and/or service. Include examples of your contributions when possible.
• Graduate transcripts (unofficial)
• Teaching Statement (1 page) outlining your pedagogical approach to conducting and teaching voice at the undergraduate level
• Professional Statement: Scans of 5 to 10 concert programs that demonstrate the diverse repertoire you have conducted over the last 3-5 years

Review of applications will begin on August 26, 2024, and will continue until the position is filled. Applications received by that date will receive fullest consideration. Finalist interviews are expected in October. Questions about the position, department, or College may be directed to Emery Stephens, Search Committee Chair, at tt2025music@stolaf.edu.

About Us

Who We Are:

Founded in 1874, http://wp.stolaf.edu/ is a residential, coeducational liberal arts college with approximately 3,000 students and 800 faculty and staff. The college is located on a picturesque 300-acre campus in Northfield, Minnesota, a vibrant, historic river town of 20,000 located 45 minutes south of culturally rich and diverse Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The college offers an academically rigorous, nationally ranked liberal arts education that fosters the development of the whole person in mind, body, and spirit and emphasizes learning in an inclusive and globally engaged community. We encourage applications from candidates committed to multicultural understanding and the enrichment of our diverse community.

The college offers a comprehensive benefits package, including a 9% retirement match, monthly contributions to a retirement healthcare account, contributions to eligible employees' health savings accounts, a significant tuition discount (up to an 80% reduction) at ACM and ELCA colleges and universities for employees' children, and generous paid time off. For a full review of the college's benefits, please see the summary of our benefits here: https://wp.stolaf.edu/hr/benefits/

To provide a safe and secure educational environment, St. Olaf College verifies the accuracy of all credentials presented by applicants and conducts a criminal background check on every new hire.

A summary of the Flexible Work Policy for staff: https://wp.stolaf.edu/hr/flexible-work-policy/

A link to our DEI page: https://wp.stolaf.edu/equity-inclusion/

A virtual campus tour: https://www.stolaf.edu/multimedia/play/?p=483

An overview of Northfield: https://wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/visit/northfield/

An overview of the Twin Cities: https://wp.stolaf.edu/admissions/visit/twincities/

The college strongly recommends that incoming students and new employees complete the primary COVID vaccine series before beginning their studies or work on campus, and that all members of our campus community remain up to date with COVID vaccines, per https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/stay-up-to-date.html.

For Staff Application Assistance:
employment@stolaf.edu
507-786-3068
For Faculty Application Assistance:
facultysearch@stolaf.edu
507-786-3356

Nondiscrimination Policy St. Olaf College does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, creed, national origin, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, marital status, veteran status, or status with regard to public assistance. St. Olaf College prohibits discrimination and harassment based upon these and any other legally protected status in any education program or activity that it operates, including in admissions and employment.

Inquiries about this nondiscrimination policy may be referred to St. Olaf College's Director of Equal Opportunity, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights or both. St. Olaf's Director of Equal Opportunity (who serves as the College's Title IX, Title VI, and Section 504 Coordinator) is Pamela McDowell, Tomson Hall, mcdowell@stolaf.edu, (507) 786-3465.

Contact Information

To apply, visit https://apptrkr.com/5376603