General Description

The Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University invites applications for a full-time faculty position as opera coach/pianist/conductor in the Conservatory. The ideal candidate for this position will be a passionate educator and an extraordinary musician who is committed to excellence in teaching, has a demonstrated record of national or international musical engagement as an opera coach/conductor, and enjoys working in a campus climate that promotes cultural diversity and multicultural understanding. The appointment will begin July 1, 2022. Compensation is commensurate with professional experience.

Located in the heart of Baltimore's Mount Vernon Cultural District, the Peabody Institute was founded in 1857 as America's first academy of music. Today, through its degree-granting Conservatory and its community-based Preparatory music and dance school, Peabody trains musicians and dancers of every age and at every level. Each year Peabody stages nearly 1000 major public concerts and performances. Peabody is one of the nine divisions of the Johns Hopkins University.

Opera at Peabody:

The opera program typically mounts two fully staged productions with orchestra in the mainstage theater every year. The Opera in Action program reaches into the community; staged opera scenes showcase our singers; our unique Opera Etudes program collaborates with the composition department; a yearly off-site chamber opera is presented; and a bi-annual early-music work is mounted. The vocal studies department serves up to 120 voice majors each year.

Primary Duties & Responsibilities:

• Coach, conduct and rehearse undergraduate and graduate students in rehearsals, performances, and in the classroom, exhibiting a thorough knowledge of the standard operatic repertoire, musical style, and facility in standard operatic languages.
• Develop and teach courses which educate singers for musical success in the ever-changing 21st century operatic scene while maintaining a strong link to the core repertory.
• Fashion a teaching outline of desirable and necessary musical and language skill sets for operatic training to be mastered by the voice students during their tenure.
• Oversee all musical aspects of two major productions, chamber operas, and scenes programs.  Will include the following: coaching/conducting students;  overseeing preparation and work of student repetiteurs and conductors; overseeing guest conductors/coaches;  budgeting and scheduling.
• Inspire singers and colleagues in other disciplines throughout Peabody and JHU to work together to take full advantage of interdisciplinary resources and opportunities.
• Foster programs that reach into the Baltimore-Washington region and bring opera into otherwise underserved communities.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in music or comparable professional experience; Master's preferred
• Minimum 5 years teaching in higher education or young artist programs
• A comprehensive knowledge of the standard operatic repertoire
• High level of familiarity and commitment to the performance of contemporary operatic repertoire and new works
• High level piano skills
• High level conducting skills
• Mastery of French, German, Italian and English language and diction. Mastery of additional language(s) a plus
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• NOTE: The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check.

Application Instructions

To ensure full consideration all materials must be received by November 11, 2021, however, applications will be received until the position is filled.

Required Materials for Application:

• Cover letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Phone and email contact information for five references
• Links to video demonstrations excerpts of at least 3 recent opera productions directed and/or produced of varying styles. Videos(s) must be submitted via website link(s) and uploaded as one attachment.
• A statement outlining how the candidate envisions (1) the teaching opera in a conservatory setting in remote, hybrid online and in person forms and (2) how opera will change (if at all) in a post-COVID-19 world.