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New Voices Bay Area TIGQ Choir Director

CMC seeks a Choir Director to direct New Voices Trans Intersex & Genderqueer Chorus.

New Voices Bay Area TIGQ Chorus is a mixed-voice choral ensemble for singers who self-identify as transgender, intersex, nonbinary, or genderqueer. A program of San Francisco’s Community Music Center, the chorus lifts up our community’s strength and struggle, joyfully upending gendered conventions in choral music. NVBA strives to build a creative and empowered space for our TIGQ community, encourage voices that have been silenced or shamed, and change how the world thinks about gender identity and singing. NVBA debuted in 2018 at San Francisco’s Trans Day of Remembrance, and has since sung at, among others, the National AIDS Memorial, the Fresh Meat Festival, the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, Frameline, Grace Cathedral, and the Billboard Music Awards. New Voices has collaborated with many Bay Area artists to perform music ranging from funk and soul to Mozart and Bach. Featured on NPR and in the SF Chronicle, the chorus welcomes all TIGQ singers, without audition. Come sing with us!

Purpose: To direct a mixed-voice choral ensemble for community members self-identifying as transgender, intersex, nonbinary or genderqueer (TIGQ). The Choir Director is responsible for developing repertoire, conducting choir rehearsals, coordinating with an accompanist, preparing participants for performances and participating in evaluation. The Choir Director will inspire the participants and set a tone for fun, learning and community through music. The position reports to the Project Director and works with a project team including an accompanist, a choir assistant and CMC staff as needed.

PRINCIPAL JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Identify repertoire and guide rehearsal processes that are culturally relevant and supportive to the TIGQ community.
• Train, rehearse and direct the choir including vocal/physical warm-ups, learning music and preparing for public performance.
• Support opportunities for socializing among choir participants including at rehearsal breaks and via the chorus’ optional Social Roster.
• Take attendance at each choir session via CMC’s attendance system and working with the choir assistant to follow up with choir members who miss rehearsals.
• Work with Choir Assistant and CMC Program Director to coordinate details for the Choir’s public performances.
• Work with the accompanist to prepare music.
• Supply written music, lyrics, recordings and other materials for participants.
• Develop positive relationships with the choir and the project team through effective, timely oral and written communication.
• Arrange for a substitute Choir Director if absent.
• Participate in the evaluation process of Choir(s) as needed.
• Meet with the chorus’ Steering Committee approximately 5 times per year to plan the annual rehearsal schedule and upcoming activities, evaluate past and current activities, and discuss issues that arise. The Steering Committee is a group of singers from the chorus.
• Collaborate with singers and with NVBA/CMC staff to foster an accessible and inclusive rehearsal and performance environment, including listening to singers’ access needs and taking steps to address those needs as part of the rehearsal and performance planning process.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Choral conducting experience or other music or vocal ensemble leadership experience is required.
• Competence and experience working with and in transgender and non-binary communities.
• Interest in emerging and evolving best practices in transgender and intersex vocal and choral pedagogy.
• Knowledge of choral music and experience with a variety of musical styles and traditions.
• Keyboard skills preferred.
• Firm commitment to full inclusion, including openness and willingness to respond to evolving access needs among choir members.
• Ability to create simple arrangements, transcriptions, and flexible voicings if needed, facilitating growth in repertory suited to and reflective of the Choir community.
• Ability to develop a strong working relationship with other staff.
• Energetic, with a willingness to learn from the community of singers.
• Awareness of dynamics of privilege and power in a group setting, and comfort addressing issues that arise around gender, race, disability, language, cultural backgrounds and other identities and experiences.
• Excellent people skills, good communicator.
• Problem-solver who can kindly and firmly resolve conflict.
• Able and enthused about working with a diverse range of musical abilities.
• Punctuality

STATUS: Hourly beginning September 2026 (non-exempt)

REPORTS TO: Program Director

WORKING CONDITIONS: 2.5 hours/session, 26 weeks/year. NVBA rehearses at the Community Music Center on Sundays from 6:15 – 8:15 pm, to be scheduled from September to June. The Director will work with an assistant and an accompanist, arriving at 6:00 pm and leaving at 8:30 pm.

COMPENSATION: $172/session – $50/hour on-site instructional time, which includes full class time, plus 30 additional minutes for setup/breakdown and contact time with members, plus one additional hour off-site prep per session at CMC $47/hr prep rate

HOW TO APPLY: Please send your resume and cover letter to cmcfacultyopenings@sfcmc.org. In the cover letter, please share what styles of music you are most rooted in/familiar with, why you are interested in working with trans, intersex, and gender-queer singers, and why you believe you are a fit for this position.

CMC is an Equal Opportunity Workplace. Research has shown that people from groups historically affected by gender, racial, and disability discrimination often apply for positions only when they meet 100% of the qualifications. We are most interested in candidates who are passionate about CMC’s mission and excited to contribute their talents to our work. We encourage you to apply even if you do not meet all the qualifications listed.

Community Music Center is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, military status, or any other protected characteristic.

About Community Music Center
Community Music Center (CMC) is the Bay Area’s oldest community arts organization and San Francisco’s largest provider of free and low-cost music classes and concerts. Founded in 1921, CMC’s mission is dedicated to enhancing the community’s quality of life by making high quality music accessible to people of all ages and musical levels, regardless of their financial status. Students range in age from 3 to 96 years old and enjoy classes in everything from Western classical to Chinese to Latin music. CMC operates from two locations, in the Mission and Richmond Districts of San Francisco, and offers programs throughout the city.