Principal Accompanist

Mansfield Choral Society is seeking to appoint a well-qualified, energetic and enthusiastic principal accompanist to start working with the choir from May 1st, 2025.

MCS is an amateur, non-auditioning mixed choir of around 50 voices, performing a wide range of choral music, from large classical choral works to contemporary choral music and arrangements of jazz standards and lighter pieces, both accompanied and a cappella.

We are looking for a pianist with the following qualifications:

• Excellent piano skills, with the ability and experience of playing a wide range of musical styles, from classical works to pop arrangements
• Experience of working as accompanist to choirs, musicians and singers
• Good sight reading skills with experience of playing SATB parts together from the score and an ability to improvise or provide accompaniment for warm-ups
• Experience of performing in public across a variety of situations
• An ability to form and maintain strong working relationships with the musical director (currently Diane Haslam) and choristers
• Availability to accompany the choir at performances and the weekly practices (apart from planned or unavoidable absences)
• Availability for Music Committee meetings 2-4 times per year (The MCS accompanist is also a member of the Music Committee, providing input of ideas for future programmes)

This is a paid position: a negotiated fee is paid to our pianist for rehearsals and performances. MCS is a registered charity and relies upon member donations/subscriptions and income from concert performances to fund its activities.

We rehearse from 7 -  9pm on Thursday evenings, at St Peter’s Community Hall, Bellamy Road, Mansfield, NG18 4LN, September - early July, with a break for the summer and some school holidays. We also hold 2 Saturday morning rehearsals every season. The choir performs 3-4 full concerts per year in the Mansfield area. There are occasional short outreach performances, and the choir sometimes collaborates in concerts with other choirs from the area.

We are arranging a sequence of trial sessions for those interested in this role to take place on regular rehearsal nights (Thursday evenings) from February through to the middle of April, using our current repertoire as trial material. Please contact our Committee Chair, Claire Nielsen, for further information and to register an interest in the role: claire.nielsen1@btinternet.com

The successful applicant for this role will be warmly welcomed into our  choir family, and will encounter hardworking, enthusiastic singers and musicians who are keen on both having fun and preparing concerts to the highest possible standard.

More information and background to the choir can be found on our 
website and Facebook pages. Please visit: mansfieldchoral.org.uk