Choir Director

Auumm; Oregon City (OR); On-site; USD 34,000 - 49,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Summers off

Job summary

The Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Willamette Falls in Oregon City seeks a part-time choir director to lead a volunteer choir of 15-20 singers. The role involves directing choral worship for services, with 2–3 Sundays per month and occasional Christmas Eve, and evenings rehearsals.

Salary is $30 per hour for about 6 hours weekly, September through May, with summers off, supervised by the Minister and in collaboration with the pianist.

Qualifications

• Choral directing experience and knowledge of a diverse choral repertoire, including classical religious music and folk, gospel, world, and popular music.
• Excellent interpersonal, organizational, communication, and leadership skills; the ability to motivate and work well with the choir, the collaborative pianist, and coordinate closely with the Minister regarding the music program. Choosing music that coordinates with the theme of the service is a high priority.
• Ability to work with singers of various ages, including elders, who enjoy singing, but come with a variety of levels of musical experience.
• Respect for Unitarian Universalism, willingness to learn about the history, principles and values of UUism, if the candidate does not identify as a UU.
• Membership in Association of UU Music Ministries

Responsibilities

• Worship services: Perform / coordinate choral music for 2 and up to 3 Sunday services per month, and the Christmas Eve service every other year.
• Choirs: Schedule and direct weekly rehearsals of the choir from September through May; communicate with choir members via email and phone; recruit and train new members; support enjoyment and musical growth of individual members and the group.
• Repertoire: Review, select, and purchase choral music as needed; maintain our choral library.
• May lead/teach hymns to the congregation on Choir Sundays.
• This position does not require attendance at staff meetings. It does require timely email submission of music listings to the Office Administrator & Minister.

Skills

Choral directing experience

Diverse choral repertoire knowledge

Excellent interpersonal skills

Organizational and leadership skills

Ability to work with varied ages

Respect for UUism

Job description

We are a healthy, functional congregation with approximately 200 adult members and 70+ children and youth. We are looking for a choir director to direct our enthusiastic, volunteer choir of 15-20 singers, who see music as our ministry to the congregation.

Position Type: hourly, non-exempt

Position Hours: Part-time avg 6 hr/week. September-May, Includes evening rehearsals and 2 or 3 Sundays per month.

Salary Range: $30/hour

Governance: Supervised by the Minister, Works in conjunction with collaborative pianist

Start Date: September 2026

Expectations for the Choir Director’s Role

The Choir Director will be supervised by the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Willamette Falls' (UUCWF) Minister (the “Minister”) on behalf of the UUCWF Board of Directors (the “Board”) to perform the following:

To develop, implement, and oversee a comprehensive, quality choral music program within the context of our Unitarian Universalist congregation;

To guide and spiritually nurture a lively community of those who wish to participate in the musical life of the Congregation and enhance the overall quality of congregational life;

To honor the musical diversity of our community.

Position Responsibilities

Worship services: Perform / coordinate choral music for 2 and up to 3 Sunday services per month, and the Christmas Eve service every other year.

Choirs: Schedule and direct weekly rehearsals of the choir from September through May; communicate with choir members via email and phone; recruit and train new members; support enjoyment and musical growth of individual members and the group.

Repertoire: Review, select, and purchase choral music as needed; maintain our choral library.

May lead/teach hymns to the congregation on Choir Sundays.

This position does not require attendance at staff meetings. It does require timely email submission of music listings to the Office Administrator & Minister.

Required Core Competencies

Choral directing experience and knowledge of a diverse choral repertoire, including classical religious music and folk, gospel, world, and popular music.

Excellent interpersonal, organizational, communication, and leadership skills; the ability to motivate and work well with the choir, the collaborative pianist, and coordinate closely with the Minister regarding the music program. Choosing music that coordinates with the theme of the service is a high priority.

Ability to work with singers of various ages, including elders, who enjoy singing, but come with a variety of levels of musical experience.

Respect for Unitarian Universalism, willingness to learn about the history, principles and values of UUism, if the candidate does not identify as a UU.

Pay: $30/hour, approximately 6 hours/week. Summers off.

Membership in Association of UU Music Ministries