Manager, Artistic Operations

Department
 

HUM Staff: Music SP Student Performance

About the Department
 

The Department of Music at the University of Chicago is a world-renowned center for research and teaching of Music Composition, Ethnomusicology, Music History, and Music Theory. Its acclaimed faculty includes scholars and composers who are prominent leaders in their fields. The Department offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Music, and sponsors a wide-ranging, co-curricular Performance Program that involves over 750 musicians in 100+ concerts each season. The Performance Program’s eighteen ensembles and programs, closely integrated with the academic offerings of the Department, cover a wide range of musical genres, historical periods, and cultural settings, and offer UChicago students exceptional opportunities to develop their musical skills and expand their artistic horizons. Musicians involved in this comprehensive Performance Program include undergraduate students (80%), graduate students (10%), and members of the University and Hyde Park communities (10%). The overall management, promotion, and development of the Performance Program is guided by the Director of Performance Programs for the Department of Music, who supervises an artistic staff of part-time and full-time ensemble and program directors plus a full-time support staff of five employees, which includes this position.

Job Summary
 

Reporting to the Director of Performance Programs, the Manager of Artistic Operations (Manager) cultivates and facilitates the ongoing operations, strategic expansion, and future initiatives for the Department of Music Performance Program (PP), particularly as they relate to the undergraduate programs and goals of the Department of Music and the College as a whole. The Manager works to integrate PP activities with the wider University community and surrounding Hyde Park and South Side neighborhoods, working closely with the Director of Performance Programs, the PP and Music Department staff and faculty, and other University entities and personnel to achieve these goals. The Manager also provides operational support for the Chicago Center for Contemporary Composition (CCCC) and for other Music Department projects, as needed.

Responsibilities

• Oversees both the planning and operation of a wide range of special events for the PP ensembles and programs, Music Department faculty artists, the Don Michael Randel Ensemble-in-Residence, CCCC, and other local and/or visiting artists and ensembles sponsored by the Department of Music. Also assists with planning and operations for the regularly scheduled performances and events for the PP ensembles and programs.
• Serves as main point person for scheduling and overseeing the Don Michael Randel Ensemble-in-Residence, sponsored annually by the Department of Music. Duties include contract negotiation; identifying potential areas of intersection for cross-department collaborations and scheduling relevant activities on campus; developing educational engagement opportunities in the wider community; and providing overall logistic management for all Don Michael Randel Ensemble-in-Residence activities. Provides advance support to visiting artists to fulfill all stipulated riders and production-related needs, including visa, hotel, and travel arrangements, as needed.
• Manages ongoing PP projects, including the annual Music Lessons Award program and biennial Concerto Competition. Assists as needed with scheduling master classes, workshops, and other special events and projects for the PP.
• Helps ensure that technical and logistical requirements for Performance Program rehearsals, concerts, and other events are met (e.g., date, time, venue, technical needs, etc.), in cooperation with other PP staff. Serves as house manager and staff supervisor for major PP events as assigned, and for occasional CCCC concerts and other Departmental events as needed. Makes appropriate licensing arrangements for live-streaming and internet posting of PP performances and recordings, as needed.
• Develops and articulates concepts and initiatives for the PP and the Department of Music, in conjunction with the Director of Performance Programs and individual PP Directors; generates and facilitates special performances and related events; helps promote the PP on campus and in the community.
• Processes all payments for the PP, in accordance with Departmental and University administrative procedures, in a timely manner. Component steps include: generating contracts or letters of agreements for domestic and foreign artists, clinicians, and Don Michael Randel Ensemble-in-Residence; ensuring that tax documents and other required forms are collected and compliant; setting up vendors and processing purchase orders and invoices for all PP purchases; monitoring all expenditures to ensure that budget guidelines are followed. Tracks Music Lesson Awards payments on a quarterly basis and communicates regularly with student award recipients and faculty instructors. Monitors and processes extra-service payments to PP faculty (for academic class visits, special performances, or other authorized activities) as needed.
• Generates and facilitates community and educational engagement programs and events for schools, community centers, retirement homes, and other venues as identified. Seeks to involve College students and graduate students from all departments, as well as Music Department performance faculty and visiting artists, in these outreach efforts. In conjunction with the Director of Performance Programs, facilitates intersections between PP ensembles and faculty research, and encourages coordination of PP with current academic offerings. Helps to develop future projects involving the PP (including joint performances, master classes, workshops, etc.) in collaboration with the University of Chicago Presents (UCP) and/or other arts entities on campus (e.g., Logan Center, Smart Museum, International House, Renaissance Society, Rockefeller Chapel, etc.).
• Assists with targeted fundraising efforts to help build the University Symphony Orchestra Endowment, Departmental Artist-in-Residence positions, alumni relations, and other development initiatives, as needed.
• Executes day-to-day event logistics, and other moderately complex assignments with some guidance from others.
• Assists with research, including vendor selection and contract negotiation. Keeps track of all expenses, prepares reports on costs, using existing procedures to solve moderately complex problems as they arise.
• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications
 

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

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Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 2-5 years of work experience in a related job discipline.

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Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in music or a related field.
• Master’s degree.

Experience:

• Substantial musical background, preferably in both academic and performance arenas.
• Minimum of 5 years experience working for a not-for-profit musical organization, or within a college or university department or school of music.
• Background directly supervising and/or producing musical events.
• Supervising staff members and volunteers.
• Working with finances – tracking budgets, processing payments, and issuing contracts.

Technical Skills or Knowledge:

• Knowledge of production, communication, dissemination of information, and other aspects of work required to create successful events and collaborations, particularly as related to classical music and concert production.
• Proficiency in database management.
• Knowledge of basic accounting procedures.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and spoken.

Preferred Competencies

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Strong administrative and organizational abilities, coupled with the ability to identify priorities and make adjustments as needed.
• Manage logistics related to various projects simultaneously and efficiently.
• Work independently without close supervision.
• Resourcefulness in solving problems.
• Foster and facilitate meaningful collaborations amongst diverse constituents.
• Attention to detail. Strong proofreading skills. Accuracy, resourcefulness, dependability.

Working Conditions

• Office environment: comparatively small, shared office space, working in close physical proximity to other employees.  Multiple rehearsal and performance venues throughout campus for PP activities.
• Fast-paced environment; complete specific tasks in prescribed amounts of time essential.
• Circumstances may require the ability to work remotely, in accordance with University COVID guidelines.
• Sit at a computer for 2-4 hours at a time.
• Periodic walking to other campus locations.
• Lift up to 25 lbs.
• Some evening and weekend work, as scheduled in advance.

Application Documents

• Resume/CV (required)
• Letter of Interest in this position (required)
• References Contact Information (3)(required)
• Provide a short paragraph response to the following question: Outline one or two educational projects that you might propose and develop for the Department of Music Performance Program. Such initiatives should be directed toward some specific constituency within the larger community, and should both involve and impact the student musicians in the Department of Music PP.

When applying, the document(s) MUST  be uploaded via the My Experience page, in the section titled Application Documents of the application.

Job Family
 

Communications

Role Impact
 

Individual Contributor

FLSA Status
 

Exempt

Pay Frequency
 

Monthly

Scheduled Weekly Hours
 

37.5

Benefits Eligible
 

Yes

Requires Compliance with University Covid-19 Vaccination Requirement
 

Yes

Drug Test Required
 

No

Health Screen Required
 

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required
 

No

Posting Statement
 

Employees must comply with the University’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements. More information about the requirements can be found on the University of Chicago Vaccination GoForward .
The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity/Disabled/Veterans Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, status as an individual with a disability, protected veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Staff Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

We seek a diverse pool of applicants who wish to join an academic community that places the highest value on rigorous inquiry and encourages a diversity of perspectives, experiences, groups of individuals, and ideas to inform and stimulate intellectual challenge, engagement, and exchange.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

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