Musical Director

Vacancy for Musical Director based at Haddo House, Tarves, Aberdeenshire

Our present Musical Director will be leaving in June 2025  and we are now looking for a  successor. This would be an exciting position for either an experienced, or novice, choir-master with a passion for choral work and opera, who has the drive to continue to take our musical programmes forward with an ever-respectful eye to the strong traditions HHCOS has built up over the years.

HHCOS was established some 80 years ago, and currently has some  60 adult singing voices. The choir is non-auditioned and is a blend of trained and untrained voices. The last few years have seen us perform choral works at the theatre and chapel at Haddo House and other venues.

Our Aims and Objectives include the encouragement of young musicians, both professional and amateur, and our ambitious repertoire has allowed us to develop good links with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland from where we often engage students as our soloists.  We also encourage local orchestral players to perform in the Haddo Orchestra and we are fortunate to have a long-standing relationship with the Aberdeen Sinfonietta.  Over the years we have welcomed many guest directors, singers and conductors  –  they have all said that Haddo is a very special place to perform.

Our current plans for 2025/2026 comprise a performance of Stainer’s Crucifixion this October, a series of carol concerts in December and, in March 2026, an event to celebrate our 80th Anniversary.  

We will require our new Musical Director to begin in October 2025 and to take full responsibility for the December 2025 carol concerts before preparing for an anniversary performance in March 2026. On completion of a trial period of 9 months with the choir, the position may become permanent.

Our founder, June Gordon, set out to make classical music and opera something to be enjoyed by all, and we would want our new Musical Director to embrace this philosophy. Our aspirations are ambitious, and we look to be led by a Musical Director who can bring the very best out of us, and who has the skills to work with singers of mixed abilities. We would look to him or her to develop our musical programme for each year, and take weekly rehearsals with our principal choir during school term-times, with additional rehearsals required in the lead-up to concerts and productions.

We invite applications for this position, and ask that, together with a brief CV, applicants also enclose their suggestions for a musical programme covering the next two seasons. Whilst we acknowledge that you do not know us, or our capabilities as a choir, it will none-the-less give us an idea of where your own vision and ambitions may lie.

Remuneration for the post will be by negotiation.

Applications should be submitted electronically to our Secretary, Sue Willing, at secretary@hhcos.org.uk.   The closing date for applications is Friday 23rd May.   Interviews will be carried out at Haddo during the following 2 weeks.