Employment Opportunities

One of the nation’s most celebrated all-volunteer choirs, the Indianapolis Symphonic Choir (ISC), celebrating its 87th year, is looking for a dynamic leader to assume the role of Executive Director.

The opportunity to live in Indiana is inviting! Indiana is nestled in the Midwest and is an easy drive to fun Midwest cities like Chicago, Cincinnati, Louisville, or Nashville. Housing is very affordable in the “Crossroads of America” state, with the median house selling price at just $255K – that is in comparison to the national median of $412K. Indianapolis has a feel of a big city but without all the traffic you would find in a big city like Chicago or New York. For outdoor enthusiasts, we have 24 state parks, and 3 national parks spanning hundreds of thousands of miles of hills, woods, and lakes. If you like both warm and cold outdoor activities – you can get both all year round with the full four seasons of weather. Additionally, Indiana has 2 professional sports teams – The Indianapolis Colts and the Indiana Pacers and we are very proud of the famous Motor Speedway with the annual Indy 500 and NASCAR Brickyard 400 races.

Why join the ISC? Just 39% of choruses in the U.S. have endowments and the median amount is $52K (chorusamerica.org, 2013). The ISC boasts a $3+ million endowment! Our chorus not only volunteer their time to sing but they also volunteer to do other things for the ISC – so you hit the ground running with a fabulous corps of volunteers. The Board is made up of not only experts in a sundry number of fields – but includes professional musicians, and chorus members too! The track record of the ISC is exciting to say the least, we have international travel and performances, we guest perform on the world’s greatest stages like Carnegie, all in addition to our regular season of performances around Indiana and the Midwest.

POSITION: EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (full-time paid staff)

Brief Overview: Indianapolis Symphonic Choir

25+ musical performances, multiple educational-outreach initiatives, and a reach of more than 25,000 people every year
Robust volunteer corps of 200+ talented singers who join the choir based on annual auditions – an important aspect of how we foster a very high level of musical excellence and find those truly dedicated to the rigorous, forty-four-week season
Performances include the master choral works, early and new music, and commissioned pieces
Our own annual concerts and series’ include: Festival of Carols, Mood Indigo, Sacred Masterworks, Voices of the Spirit, Community Sing, etc. (Visit our website for more detailed information: indychoir.org.)
Performances locally, nationally, internationally
- Heard internationally at special and collaborative performances in sundry venues abroad
- Heard nationally through live broadcasts and recordings
- Stand-alone and collaborative concerts locally
  - With professional organizations: The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, Indianapolis Baroque Orchestra, etc.
  - With educational music and artistic organizations: Newfields, Butler University, primary and secondary school programming, etc.
- Unique and broad educational programming including:
  - A choral conducting internship – for college/graduate choral conducting students
  - The “In-Choir-ing Minds” discussion series.
- Partnerships with internationally renowned conductors, composers – such as Augusta Read Thomas, and soloists – such as Grammy Award winner Sylvia McNair and Tony winner Alice Ripley.
- Substantial community support:
  - Performances are regularly sold-out
  - Endowment donations and committed funds have reached several million dollars
  - Board of Directors is made up of local experts from a broad spectrum of professions, musicians, and choral members

Position Summary

Reporting structure: The Executive Director (ED) reports to the Board of Directors. The Executive Director provides support to best utilize the talents and resources of the Board, stimulate involvement, recruit new members, and work closely with the Board to ensure strong leadership infrastructure and long-term organization success. With the Artistic Director, the ED serves as a non-voting member of the Board of Directors ex officio and is a member of the Executive Committee.
Qualification/Skills/Education: A bachelor’s degree is required; a graduate degree in music (MM) and/or business (MBA) is strongly preferred. Preference will be given to candidates with documented leadership and management experience.
A minimum of five years of experience with a non-profit performing arts organization is preferred, with a minimum of 3-years- experience in marketing, management, audience development, and fundraising required.
Excellent organizational, interpersonal, and leadership skills. Professional, collaborative and team oriented. Must possess a broad understanding/experience in concert/event management; must represent the organization in a professional manner in all public arenas; must be able to work independently with minimal supervision; must have excellent verbal and written communication skills; must be extremely detail-oriented; must be able to recruit/retain staff/volunteers; and must be able to delegate/manage responsibilities as appropriate. Knowledge of computer databases and standard software programs required.
Compensation: Salary range is $85,000-$110,000 and compensation is commensurate with experience and qualifications. Includes a competitive benefits package.
Application and Inquiries: The ISC Board of Directors invites serious submissions. Please submit a cover letter describing your interest, a resume, and 3 professional references to employment@indychoir.org. Application review will begin January 2024.