Associate Director, Alternative Programming

SAN-Francisco-Symphony; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 105,000 - 118,000; Full time

Job summary

The San Francisco Symphony seeks an Associate Director, Alternative Programming to craft non-classical and film programming, summer concerts and special events. This role partners with Artistic Planning, Marketing, and Finance to create engaging experiences that broaden audience reach and generate revenue.

Based at Davies Symphony Hall with a hybrid schedule, you will manage artist engagements, pursue co-presentations, and develop innovative programming ideas for Bay Area audiences while

Qualifications

• 5-7 years’ experience in a performing arts org, preferably musical/orchestral.
• Proven negotiation skills across varied programs, artists, and industries.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively in a team environment.
• Formal education in music preferred.
• Excellent computer skills: Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint.
• Willingness to work weekends/evenings as required.

Responsibilities

• Program and engage artists for Holiday, Summer, Film Series and special events.
• Develop expanded content ideas and collaborations with other organizations.
• Coordinate with Marketing, Operations and Finance on budgets and logistics.
• Provide detailed engagement summaries to support contracting.
• Manage ArtsVision data entry for non-classical programs.
• Review contracts as requested by Artistic Planning Department Manager.

Skills

Negotiation

Communication

Collaboration

Driver's license

Education

Formal education in music

Tools

Microsoft Word

Excel

Access

PowerPoint

Job description

Associate Director, Alternative ProgrammingArtistic OperationsArtistic PlanningWork Status:Full TimeFLSA Status:ExemptLocation of Job:Davies Symphony HallSan Francisco, CASalary:Pay Grade F$105,139.00 - 118,282.00Schedule:HybridRegular Hours:9 am-5 pm; regularevenings and weekendsReports To:Senior Director, ArtisticPlanningSupervisory:NoTHE ORGANIZATIONThe San Francisco Symphony is among the most adventurous and innovative arts institutions in the United States, celebrated for its artistic excellence, creative performance concepts, award-winning recordings, and standard-setting education and community engagement programs. Since it was established in 1911, the Symphony has grown in acclaim under a succession of distinguished music directors: Henry Hadley, Alfred Hertz, Basil Cameron, Issay Dobrowen, Pierre Monteux, Enrique Jordá, Josef Krips, Seiji Ozawa, Edo de Waart, Herbert Blomstedt, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Esa-Pekka Salonen.The San Francisco Symphony presents more than 200 concerts and presentations annually for an audience of nearly 350,000 in its home of Davies Symphony Hall and around the Bay Area. A cornerstone of its mission, the San Francisco Symphony provides some of the most extensive education and community programs offered by any American orchestra. The Symphony’s free music education experiences engage students in grades 1–12 throughout the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), serving more than 25,000 students annually.In 2001, the SF Symphony became the first American orchestra to launch its own in-house record label SFS Media. Recorded live in concert and engineered at Davies Symphony Hall, SFS Media recordings showcase music by contemporary composers as well as core classical masterworks. San Francisco Symphony radio broadcasts, the first in the nation to feature symphonic music when they began in 1926, today carry the Orchestra’s concerts across the country. In 2004, the SF Symphony launched the groundbreaking multimedia Keeping Score series on PBS-TV and the web; the series was made available for unlimited free streaming on the Symphony’s YouTube channel in 2020. In 2014, the San Francisco Symphony inaugurated SoundBox, an experimental and eclectic live music series, which takes place in an alternative performance space located backstage at Davies Symphony Hall. In 2023, the San Francisco Symphony partnered with Apple for the launch of a new classical music streaming app, Apple Music Classical, and has since released 15 spatial audio recordings of live concert performances through the app. For its adventurous programming, the Symphony has been honored 19 times by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and the Symphony’s recordings have garnered France’s Grand Prix du Disque and Britain’s Gramophone Award, as well as 17 Grammy Awards.JOB SUMMARYThe Associate Director, Alternative Programming is a key member of the Artistic Planning team developing the San Francisco Symphony’s alternative programming portfolio, with a focus on creating exciting and memorable concert experiences, uniting audiences and artists together around our art form, and leveraging the flexibility and collaborative nature of orchestral music to create engaging experiences that resonate with our community. The Associate Director, Alternative Programming has primary responsibility for non-classical programming including Summer, Holiday, Film, select special events, and any added pops, presentations, and other alternative programming.The Associate Director, Alternative Programming is also responsible for exploring ways to expand the kinds of content offered by the Symphony, seeking to generate revenue through presentations, co-presentations, and alternative programs that bring new audiences to the SF Symphony. In addition, this role works with other departments in the organization to pursue new relationships and collaborations outside of Davies Symphony Hall that will connect us to a different audience and generate revenue.This position plays a key role in the Symphony’s audience development efforts through collaborating closely with other teams in the organization to understand patron preferences and to ensure that the Symphony’s content and season arcs are compelling for Bay Area audiences.ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITIESArtistic Planning:Program and engage artists for Holiday concerts.Program and engage artists for all non-classical Summer concerts.Program and engage artists for Film Series and Film Singles.Program and engage artists for special events as assigned.Program and engage artists for all added pops, presentations, and alternative programming.Explore and research expanded content for the Symphony to present, such as comedy, speakers, and other alternative programming.Explore and develop co-promotional relationships with other organizations.Pursue collaborations both inside and outside Davies Symphony Hall that connect the Symphony to different audiences.Administrative and Other:Develop systems and processes for effective collaboration with the Marketing team, including creating and maintaining repositories of potential program ideas, compiling comprehensive and data-driven artist and program pitches, and instating and following a cyclical calendar of regular touchpoints on various series.Work collaboratively with the Operations and Finance teams to plan concerts that fit within the Symphony’s operational and financial constraints.Provide detailed engagement summaries for each program to artist management and relevant SF Symphony Artistic Planning colleagues to support the contracting process and the coordination of all logistical details related to guest artists.Review contracts as requested by Artistic Planning Department Manager.Maintain awareness of logistical details managed by Artist Services Coordinator and/or Artistic Planning Assistant for guest artists for Holiday, Summer, Film, Special Events, Presentations and Chorus concert, and provide support as reasonably requested.Issue program updates for Holiday, Summer, Film, special events, and all other added non-classical programs.Manage ArtsVision data entry for Holiday, Summer, Film, special events, and all other added non-classical programs. Submit Early Programming Tool and strawman requests for any necessary programs, and collaborate with Artistic Planning Department Manager on strawmen, budgets, and projections as necessary.Proof content for Holiday, Summer, Film, special events, all other added non-classical contracts, and any other programming as necessary.Serve as part of concert duty rotation.MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:5-7 years’ experience working in a performing arts organization, preferably with a musical or orchestral background.General knowledge of popular performing artists, bands and films.Excellent working relationships with artists and managers.Proven negotiation skills across a variety of types of programs, artists, and industries.Ability to think innovatively about the practice of artistic planning, and to take a collaborative approach that reflects varied priorities and strategies.Commitment to diversifying repertoire and artists from underrepresented minorities.Formal education in music preferred.Excellent computer skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint.Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.Ability to professionally and diplomatically communicate and interact with a wide variety of internal and external stakeholders.Ability to collaborate effectively in a team environment.Strong situational awareness; able to work discreetly, independently and display good judgment in dealing with diverse personalities and potentially difficult situations.Valid driver’s license preferred and satisfactory results of a complete background investigation.Must be available to regularly work flexible hours, particularly weekends and evenings in accordance with production, rehearsal and concert schedules.SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIESNoneWORKING RELATIONSHIPSThe internal and external constituents with whom this position most frequently interacts include:Artistic Operations departmentMarketing and Finance departmentsGuest artists and their managers and agentsOrchestra musiciansEEO STATEMENTIn alignment with the values statement above, the San Francisco Symphony is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical and mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military and veteran status, and any other characteristic protected by applicable law.