Assistant Professor and Orchestra Director - Utah State University

Overview:

The Utah State University Music Department invites applications for a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of Music (Orchestra) to serve as Director of Orchestral Activities and teach academic courses.

We seek a colleague who will build upon the success of the orchestra program. The USU Symphony Orchestra currently presents four concerts per year and rehearses three times weekly. The orchestra averages 50 players, primarily undergraduate music majors.

This is a full-time, nine-month, tenure-track position. Review of applications begins November 15, 2024 and continues until filled. The position start date is August 2025.

Responsibilities:

Primary responsibilities include directing the USU Symphony Orchestra and other ensemble experiences such as collaborations with the choral ensembles, opera, and musical theatre as appropriate; administering the department’s annual concerto competition; working in tandem with the applied faculty; recruiting players for orchestral ensembles; and teaching additional courses in an area appropriate to the strengths of the candidate and the needs of the department. Faculty are expected to be engaging teachers, striving for continuous improvement, producers of impactful research or creative activity, and committed to meaningful service to the department, institution, community, and profession.

Qualifications:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Terminal degree in music or professional equivalency. Candidates within one year of completion of terminal degree may be initially hired at the rank of Instructor and moved to the rank of Assistant Professor the following academic year upon completion of the degree.
• Experience conducting university-level orchestral ensembles.
• Demonstrated knowledge of core orchestral repertoire along with a vision for 21st-century programming.
• Outstanding conducting technique and rehearsal skills.
• Demonstrated evidence of the ability to coordinate the logistics of an ensemble, including inventory, score library, and budget.
• Ability to teach in a secondary area such as music education, aural skills, music theory, music history, composition, ethnomusicology, or audio technology.
• Demonstrated experience promoting a professional, inclusive, and collaborative culture in a musical and academic environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Graduate degree in orchestral conducting.
• Public performance record with regional or national orchestras.
• Demonstrated evidence of university-level teaching experience in a secondary teaching area such as music education, aural skills, music theory, music history, composition, ethnomusicology, or audio technology.

Required Documents:

Along with the online application, please attach:

1. Curriculum Vitae/Resume to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Resume/CV"
2. Name and contact information for five professional references to be entered into Candidate Profile
3. Cover Letter to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Documents 1-10”
4. One-page teaching statement to include interests and philogophy to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Documents 1-10”
5. Transcripts for all degrees and institutions attended (unofficial copies are acceptable initially) to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Documents 1-10”
6. Video links: At least 15 minutes of unedited rehearsal video from the perspective of the ensemble and two additional videos of no more than 30 minutes total of live unedited performance(s). Links can be public or unlisted with access. Please put links into a Word docuemnt to be uploaded at the beginning of your application in the Candidate Profile under “Documents 1-10”

**Document size may not exceed 10 MB.**

Advertised Salary:Salary commensurate with qualifications, plus excellent benefits.ADA:

Employees typically work indoors and are protected from weather and/or contaminants, but not, necessarily, occasional temperature changes.  

College/Department Highlights:

Music Department:

Administered by the Caine College of the Arts, the Music Department has 32 full-time and 49 part-time faculty members serving nearly 300 music majors. Located in the Chase Fine Arts Center, departmental facilities include teaching/rehearsal space; faculty offices; the 1,700-seat Daines Concert Hall; and the award-winning 420-seat Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall. The Department offers the Bachelor of Music in Performance, the Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance & Pedagogy, the Bachelor of Music in Education, the Bachelor of Science in Music Therapy, the Bachelor of Arts in Music, a Master of Music in Piano Performance & Pedagogy, a Master of Music in Choral Conducting, a Master of Music in Voice Performance, and a Master of Music in Guitar Performance. The Department is a fully accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Music. Additional information is available at http://music.usu.edu.

Caine College of the Arts:

The Caine College of the Arts (CCA) seeks to make the arts more visible, more innovative, and more fully integrated into the intellectual life of Utah State University and the communities it serves. The CCA is a collaborative community, representing the collective strengths and voices of the arts and it acts as a conduit for connecting people and programs. The CCA offers a visiting artist program that brings important artists, designers, and scholars to campus, is home to award-winning faculty, features a world-class performance hall, offers internships with prominent artists and designers, and operates several international study opportunities. The College houses the Departments of Art + Design, Music, and Theatre Arts, and is closely affiliated with the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art on the USU campus.

University Highlights:

Founded in 1888, Utah State University is Utah’s premier land-grant, public service university, with a strong commitment to excellence, access, and inclusion, empowering people to lead successful lives of involvement, innovation, and impact. Utah State provides high-quality education to 27,500-plus students locations throughout the state, including at three residential campuses, eight statewide campuses, and 23 education centers. USU Online educates students from all 50 states and 55 countries. For over 25 years, USU Extension has served and engaged Utahns in all of Utah’s counties. As an R1 research institution, Utah State is dedicated to advancing knowledge through research and scholarly activities, providing a high-quality undergraduate and graduate education at an affordable price.

 

Utah State is committed to cultivating a community of inclusive excellence where all perspectives, values, cultures, and identities are acknowledged, welcomed, and valued. We seek to recruit, hire, and retain people from all walks of life who will champion excellence in education, research, discovery, outreach, and service. We believe that promoting a strong sense of community and belonging empowers and engages all members of USU to thrive and be successful. Forbes recognized our commitment to employees when they named Utah State the best employer in Utah in 2023. Learn more about USU. 

 

The university provides a Dual Career Assistance Program to support careers for partners who are also seeking employment. Additionally, USU is committed to providing access and reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability, contact the university’s ADA Coordinator in the Office of Human Resources at (435) 797-0122 or hr@usu.edu. 

 

About the Region

U.S. News and World Report ranked Utah first for its strong economy, fiscal stability, education, and health care. Outstanding outdoor recreational opportunities abound throughout the state, including five national parks, 43 state parks and recreation areas, and 15 alpine ski resorts. The home of USU’s main campus, Logan, is a city of 54,000-plus people in a picturesque mountain valley 80 miles north of Salt Lake City. The Logan metro area claimed the top spot in the Milken Institute’s 2022 ranking for best-performing small cities in the nation. 

 

*updated 04/2024

Notice of Non-discrimination:

In its programs and activities, including in admissions and employment, Utah State University does not discriminate or tolerate discrimination, including harassment, based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by University policy, Title IX, or any other federal, state, or local law.

The following individuals have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the application of Title IX and its implementing regulations and/or USU’s non-discrimination policies:

 

Executive Director of the Office of Equity Matthew Pinner, discrimination@usu.edu, Distance Education Rm. 401, 435-797-1266

Title IX Coordinator Cody Carmichael, titleix@usu.edu, Distance Education Rm. 404, 435-797-1266

Mailing address: 5100 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT 84322

For further information regarding non-discrimination, please visit https://equity.usu.edu/, or contact:

U.S. Department of Education, Office of Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 800-421-3481, OCR@ed.gov

*updated 09/2023