Musical Director: Polonia Choir Society of Edmonton

Polonia Choir Society of Edmonton is searching for a new musical director/conductor to start in September 2024.

The Polonia Choir is an auditioned adult mixed community choir of between 25 and 30 singers based in Edmonton, Alberta. It was founded in 1999, to take part in the staging of the opera Harnasie by Karol Szymanowski, by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s (ESO) then under the direction of Grzegorz Nowak.

For the last twenty-four years, the choir, under the baton of Oksana Ostashevska, has been performing and participating in the life of the Polish community in Edmonton, taking part in patriotic celebrations, giving charity concerts in retirement homes, and singing during Christmas events organized by the University of Alberta, and churches.

We often participate in festivals of Polish music organized by both Canadian and American communities (Montreal, Chicago, Washington, Philadelphia, New York).

Although Polonia Choir mostly sings in Polish language – Polish classic, folk, patriotic, and pop music, it also has some English language pieces in repertoire.

We are a member of Polish Singers Alliance of America and have placed first in the last two competitions organized by the above organization every 3 years.

Our season starts in September and ends in June; we publicly perform 5-7 times per season. Our regular, 2-hour practices take place on Thursday evenings from 7:30 to 9:30 P.M. in the basement of Our Lady Queen of Poland Church at 9906 83 Ave, Edmonton, AB.

Polonia Choir Society of Edmonton is a registered non-profit organization with a volunteer board of directors, situated in a central and accessible facility.
If you have a natural style of conducting a group with mixed skills and can keep this group motivated with professionalism, you might be the leader we are seeking.

Artistic director duties & responsibilities

• Directs 35-40 two-hour rehearsal sessions per season (September-June).
• Directs 5 to 7 additional performances.
• Reports to Polonia Choir Board of Directors.
• Facilitates and leads Choir’s rehearsals and performances.
• Communicates regularly with the president of the board.
• Selects music for the Choir.
• Plans and executes each rehearsal and prepares and teaches the material to the Choir.
• Maintains awareness of new repertoire possibilities.
• Creates development opportunities for the choir members by arranging yearly workshops with invited professionals (with the help and support of the Board).
• Attends and participates in Board meetings as ex-officio member.
• Plans concert order and presentation.
• Searches for and evaluates external performance opportunities in conjunction with the Board.

Qualifications (ideally)

• Excellent interpersonal, educational, and organizational skills
• Bachelor of Music or equivalent, and some experience in leading choirs
• Passion for choral music
• Some familiarity with musical repertoire in Polish tradition

Expected hours & compensation

• Attendance at 35-40 two-hour rehearsals per season (Thursday evenings 7:30 to 9:30 P.M.)
• Attendance at Board meetings when requested by Board.
• Compensation includes a monthly salary plus additional pay for performances of the Choir.
• The work adds up to approximately 80-90 hours per season.
• This is a contract for 1 year term position; the contract will be reviewed annually.
• The expected start day is September 5, 2024.

Application hiring

To apply, please send your cover letter and resume to Eugenia Serewko (Choir’s president) at: eugenia6@msn.com

Please include 2 references with your submission.

The deadline for the application is April 1, 2024.