Conductor / Music Director

The Vacancy

The Conductor / Music Director is responsible to implement and deliver the overall artistic direction and vision of the orchestra and the preparation and performance of all the orchestra’s concerts in conjunction with the orchestra’s Committee. In close collaboration with the Committee, the conductor will also oversee the orchestra’s musical and technical development, and assist in the future development of the vision, seeking to maintain and enhance the high standard of performance and reputation of the TO.

About The Orchestra

The orchestra was founded in 1852, which makes it one the oldest in the UK. It is based in Madeley which is part of Telford.  There are just under 40 members and the orchestra is run by a small committee of eight members.

Depending on the programme (and therefore extra players) there are normally between 40 and 50 players in our concerts.

Some of the members are professional musicians. Others are enthusiastic and dedicated amateurs. Our ethos is that people learn the music outside rehearsals, and then bring the music together,  shape and style during rehearsals.

Since the post-covid restart there has a been a notable increase in confidence in the orchestra as we have successfully tackled more challenging music. Our aim is to continue this trend and the new conductor, working with members of the committee, will need to choose music which is challenging but not overwhelming.

The orchestra continues to be open to change and the conductor, working with the committee and members, will influence its direction, and give ideas and guidance.

Rehearsals

We meet every Mondays, except for most public holidays and a summer break from early July until the end of August.

Rehearsals are at The Anstice, Madeley, Telford TF7 5BD, from 7:30 until 9:30. You can find more information about the venue at  www.theanstice.co.uk

Additionally, several times a year we rehearse on a Saturday afternoon at a different venue. These events are a time when the orchestra also has more time to interact socially.

Concerts

We normally hold three concerts per year, in the Autumn (November/December), Spring (March/April depending on Easter), and Summer (June/early July). Concerts are usually on Saturday evenings, with a pre-concert rehearsal in the afternoon.

We regularly use two venues, both in Madeley. Both have good acoustics and are comfortable venues for the audience. One is The Anstice which is a dedicated hall, and the other is St Michael’s church. The two have different atmospheres and are perhaps best suited to different “flavours” of concert.

The types of concerts we give is subject to change and we would expect the new conductor to work with the committee to manage the direction of change. Currently they are:

• Spring: Traditional Overture; Concerto/Suite; Symphony
• Summer and Autumn: More accessible music. The concert may be themed (eg recent Film Music concert). See recent examples below.

Our new rehearsal and performance venue has brought to us a new and enthusiastic audience and we are enjoying bringing them live orchestral music. It is one of the orchestra’s objectives to broaden the appeal of classical music, so this fits well.

For more details:
         visit our website telfordorchestra.org.uk or
         email telfordorchestra@outlook.com

The closing date for applications is
Friday 2nd June 2023 at 12:00