Job Title: Music Director
Cappella Romana seeks an innovative leader to serve as Music Director, acting as the ensemble’s chief artistic visionary, principal conductor, and researcher. The primary focus of this role is to lead performances of medieval Byzantine chant and, either leading or curating guest artists to lead related Orthodox liturgical music and rarely heard sacred music from the Western Christian traditions, in accordance with Cappella Romana’s mission.
The position involves curating, conducting, and overseeing performances and recordings and tours across the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
The selected candidate will be an Independent Contractor and is not required to move to the Pacific Northwest.
Core Responsibilities
Artistic Planning & Curation:
- Create mission-driven concert series for the Pacific Northwest and San Francisco that meet audience and artistic needs and meet budgetary requirements.
- Design touring programs, which may or may not appear on the West Coast series.
- Recruit guest conductors for projects not led by the music director.
- Act as an ambassador to audiences and donors
- Maintain a 3-to-5 year long range artistic plan in collaboration with the executive director and the board to enable effective fundraising for the whole organization.
- Write program notes from a position of deep knowledge, meant to illuminate the music and its background for a general audience.
Performance & Leadership:
- Conduct rehearsals, performances, and recordings.
- Collaborate with guest artists, including composers, scholars, and experts in their respective fields.
- Secure new artists through periodic auditions
- Make regular reports to the board of directors
- Collaborate with staff members
- Support fundraising efforts and strategic planning
QUALIFICATIONS
REQUIRED:
Master’s Degree or Ph.D. in Music History/Musicology, Theology, or Divinity, or Diploma in Byzantine Music, or equivalent experience. Permission to work in the US may be required. (Contingent for applicants who require a visa).
Minimum three years of advanced Byzantine chant and choral leadership at an international level.
Mastery of Byzantine chant, with affinity for both the Received Tradition and, especially, Medieval Byzantine repertoires.
Solid conducting and choir management skills
Willingness to travel to local, domestic, and international locations for programs and concerts
Ability to work well individually and with other members of staff, guest artists, composers, and scholars
Strong written and oral communication skills in English
PREFERRED:
Advanced soloist of Byzantine chant and ability to coach both soprano-alto and tenor-bass singers in the style.
Knowledge and practical experience in at least one or more of the following musical traditions: Slavic/Russian Orthodox, Latin, and contemporary repertoire.
At least five years of experience as a Music Director.
HOW TO APPLY:
Please submit an application packet in a single PDF that includes: a cover letter stating why you are interested in the position and why you should be considered; and a comprehensive CV/resume, detailing your qualifications for this position.
Send your application to: musicdirectorapplication@cappellaromana.org
Deadline to apply: August 31, 2026
Additional materials may be requested during the interview process.
Compensation
Compensation range: $40,000-$50,000 per year by contract, with a one-year probation period. This contract will include a minimum of four West Coast concert projects (one-week residencies in Portland, Oregon), one tour, and one recording project per year. The above includes an annual retainer for ongoing work as described above.
Cappella Romana is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, sex, race, religion, or any other classification prohibited by law. We are an inclusive organization that welcomes diverse candidates and promotes equal opportunity for all. Selection is based solely on individual merit, talent, skills, and potential.
About Cappella Romana
The mission of the professional vocal ensemble Cappella Romana is to experience and understand the transcendent beauty of the sacred music of the Christian East and West, especially of Byzantium, cultivating this rich cultural heritage and sharing it worldwide. In doing so, Cappella Romana transforms hearts and minds through encounters with this sacred musical inheritance, bringing to life these ancient and diverse traditions and their interactions with other cultures. Cappella Romana is devoted to the stewardship of this precious jewel of world culture through performances, recordings and publications, scholarship and education, engagement with heritage communities, and new artistic creation.
Founded in 1991 and based in the Pacific Northwest, Cappella Romana presents annual concert series in Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco, tours nationally and internationally, and releases recordings via its own label, Cappella Records, distributed by NAXOS. It also maintains a publishing arm, Cappella Romana Publications, that focuses on received-tradition Byzantine chant set to the best translations in English, as well as publications of medieval Byzantine chant, choral works, and related repertoire, to share this music with other ensembles.
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