Musical Director

Belfast-based choir Cappella Ceciliana wishes to recruit an experienced, enthusiastic Musical Director who shares our love of great choral music and will bring their own energy and inspiration to continue our very successful musical journey, further developing our choir. Our current MD is retiring after 22 rewarding years with us, and the new MD will be required from September 2020. 

Founded in 1995 on the feast of St Cecilia, the twenty-strong Cappella Caeciliana is a leading choir in Northern Ireland. This cross-community award-winning group has toured throughout Ireland, Scotland, Europe and USA, with repertoire ranging from plainchant to contemporary compositions, with a particular regard for great sacred music. The choir has worked closely with numerous high-profile contemporary composers and conductors including Sir James Macmillan, Stephen Layton and Eamonn Dougan, sings at liturgies and at concerts regularly within Northern Ireland and beyond, and has recorded five CDs. Our repertoire is largely a cappella. 

We celebrated our 25th anniversary season in 2020-21, a highlight of which was production of a professionally-produced ‘lockdown’ video. The season also features an online series of talks and workshops, featuring many famous artists including Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and Wynne Evans, and part of which was broadcast by BBC Radio Ulster. Most recently, we have been one of the first choirs of our type on the island of Ireland to return to face to face performance (Armagh, August 2021).

We typically perform 6 concerts and sing at 2-3 liturgies per year. The MD, in consultation with the committee, is responsible for the programming and planning of these engagements and plays a core part in the development of the choir through attendance at committee meetings and auditioning singers. The choir rehearses weekly during term time on Sunday evenings 7-9pm in Belfast. 

Further duties of the MD will include: 

Preparing for and conducting rehearsals and performances; serving as member of committee; making proposals for repertoire and for new opportunities/events; providing expert advice to committee; assessing and auditioning all candidates applying for membership, with assistance of choir members as required; supporting the vocal and musical development of individual singers and the choir’s overall development; undertaking other duties as required and agreed. 

Essential Criteria 

   i. Experience working with choirs at a high standard 
   ii. Talented musician with proven track record in choir training 
   iii. Excellent communication skills and a positive approach 
   iv. Proficiency in remote collaboration technology, and ability to lead virtual rehearsals

Desirable Criteria 

   i. Keyboard proficiency 
   ii. Experience in collaboration with solo singers, orchestras and chamber groups 
   iii. Track record in organisation and planning of events 
   iv. Proven knowledge of vocal support and training. 

Remuneration will be at competitive rates. 

Further information about Cappella Caeciliana and recordings of the choir are available at http://www.caeciliana.org. 

Enquiries and requests for application forms should be made to cappella.recruit@gmail.com. 

Applications will be accepted via application form only, with closing date 31 October 2021, and must be submitted to cappella.recruit@gmail.com.

Previous Process: unfortunately due to COVID we had to suspend the previous process to appoint a new MD. Those applicants who had previously been shortlisted will be automatically shortlisted and invited to interview.