Artistic Director

Boston Chamber Music Society; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 54,000 - 66,000; Part time

Job summary

The Boston Chamber Music Society (BCMS) seeks an Artistic Director to lead artistic programming, staff selection, and collaborations with guest artists. This part-time, salaried role reports to the Board of Trustees and works closely with the Executive Director to fulfill BCMS’s artistic and educational goals.

Responsibilities include artistic program development, budgeting input, audience development, donor relations, and coordinating marketing, production, and board engagement to sustain

Responsibilities

• Artistic Program Development: plan, program, and staff BCMS concerts and related activities.
• Management: hire BCMS Member Musicians and guest artists within budget.
• Marketing/Communications: boost BCMS profile in Greater Boston and coordinate marketing plans.
• Fund Development: cultivate relationships with donors, sponsors, and foundations.
• Board/Governance: inform and collaborate with BCMS Board on budgets and artistic decisions.
• Reporting Relationships: align with Board of Trustees and Executive Director; collaborate with Member Musicians.

Job description

Salary: $60,000 plus concert fees

Introduction

Founded in 1982, Boston Chamber Music Society (BCMS) presents the premier chamber music series in New England. BCMS is composed of a collegial ensemble of superb Member Musicians who come together in different combinations to prepare and perform chamber music. These Member Musicians are led by an Artistic Director who is also part of the performing group. The Artistic Director invites guest musicians, chosen for their particular affinity for, and mastery of the works they will play, to join the Member Musicians on stage, thus expanding the artistic possibilities to virtually all works in the chamber music repertoire.

BCMS’s mission is to provide the public with exceptional performances of chamber music repertoire from the Baroque era to the present day while fostering understanding and appreciation of the art form, making it more accessible to all.

BCMS’s main activity is to produce a year-round concert series in the Metropolitan Boston area, currently consisting of eight concerts at Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre. A full-time Executive Director manages marketing, fundraising, concert production, and finances.

The Artistic Director (AD) is responsible for developing and staffing the season’s programs, overseeing the performances, and identifying guest artists and potential new Member Musicians. The AD is also expected to either perform in or attend all BCMS concerts.

Success in the AD role requires: leadership; a highly collaborative manner of working with the Members on programming and performance; and an imaginative approach to developing programs that combine favorite pieces with less familiar works and newer compositions.

The AD is a leader in Boston’s musical and educational communities, reaching out to collaborate with other musical organizations, and fostering the role of BCMS as Boston’s leading chamber music group.

The role of the Artistic Director is a salaried part-time position and reports to the Board of Trustees. Additionally, the AD receives standard concert musician fees when performing in concerts.

Detailed Job Descriptions

I. ROLE

The Artistic Director is the chief artistic officer of the Boston Chamber Music Society (BCMS) and is expected to lead BCMS’s artistic endeavors with energy and entrepreneurial vision. S/he reports to the Board of Trustees and works closely with the Executive Director to fulfill BCMS’s vision, mission, and programmatic and artistic goals as articulated by the Board. His/her primary role is to plan, develop and execute music programming to be performed by BCMS Member and Guest Musicians. The Artistic Director also works collaboratively with the Executive Director to implement strategies for BCMS’s audience development and financial support. The Artistic Director is also a Member Musician who performs regularly with BCMS.

II. RESPONSIBILITIES

A. Artistic Program Development and Production.

• Programs all concerts, run outs and related activities.
• Is present at all concerts.
• Works closely and collaboratively with Member Musicians, soliciting their input on programming and staffing.
• Collaborates with the Executive Director to propose both preliminary and interim annual program budgets for future seasons.
• Consults with the Executive Director on facilities requirements for BCMS artistic programs and provides guidance, as appropriate, on securing appropriate performance venues.
• Identifies opportunities for additional performances, consistent with BCMS’s mission and vision.

B. Management.

• Hires BCMS Member Musicians and guest artists, within Board-approved budgetary guidelines.
• Leads and motivates BCMS Member Musicians to perform at the highest level.
• Organizes ensemble rehearsals to prepare for concert programs.
• Plans and communicates artistic program requirements in sufficient time so that rehearsals are scheduled and ensemble members are made aware of their responsibilities.
• Keeps the Executive Director informed about concert, rehearsal or personnel changes.
• Remains accessible in order to resolve emerging problems and issues.
• Identifies opportunities for touring and recording, consistent with BCMS aspirations, objectives, and finances.

C. Marketing and Communications.

• Ensures a high BCMS profile in Greater Boston’s cultural community by cultivating media, other music organizations, educational institutions, and benefactors.
• Plans and communicates artistic programs in sufficient detail so that BCMS’s marketing activities may be designed and executed in a timely and coordinated manner.
• Participates actively in shaping and implementing marketing plans, especially with respect to the media and music communities.
• Is an active media presence, serving as an ambassador for BCMS in Boston.

D. Fund Development.

• Actively cultivates relationships with individual benefactors, corporate sponsors, and foundations that support classical music in Boston.
• Works with Board members to identify potential individual and institutional funding sources; cultivates and solicits individual donor prospects.
• Cultivates Board membership and connections to the larger arts philanthropic community.

E. Board Relationships and Governance Process.

• Attends Board meetings and meets regularly with the Board’s Executive group.
• Informs the Board, on an ongoing basis, of new artistic programs or changes to planned programs.
• Clarifies for the Board the budgetary impact of programmatic or ensemble member decisions.
• Keeps the Board informed about the rationales for artistic programming choices.

F. Reporting Relationships.

• Reports to the Board of Trustees.
• Develops and maintains a collegial, collaborative and mutually supportive relationship with the BCMS Executive Director, who also reports to the Board.
• Works collegially with the Member Musicians.

III. PERFORMANCE Evaluation

The Artistic Director is evaluated annually.

• Experience playing chamber music internationally at the highest level.
• Network of contacts within the chamber music community.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and collaborate effectively with artists, staff, board members, and community stakeholders.
• Experience in a leadership role within an arts organization.
• Vision for the future of BCMS, in terms of repertoire, performances, personnel, audience building, and relationship to the community.
• Desire to invest time and energy in the Greater Boston community.