Recruitment

We are recruiting a new Musical Director and Apprentice Musical Director.

East Lancs Clarion Choir is looking for a new Musical Director who is committed to songs of social justice, peace, ecology, equality and solidarity.

We are a mixed, non-auditioned, choir from Burnley who meet weekly to sing in unaccompanied, 4 part harmony. The choir, formed in 1998, has its roots in the Clarion tradition of singing as a part of radical campaigning – it is one of only 4 in the UK with the 'Clarion' title. We sing at solidarity events, street demonstrations, and the annual Street Choirs Festival. Occasionally we organise our own concerts, as well as holding workshops open to other singers. We also love songs from many different cultures and sometimes old pop songs and silly stuff – here is a sample of our repertoire.

We meet currently on Thursday evenings (during term-time), in a School Hall in Burnley, but are willing to consider alternative arrangements. Our choir leader, Janet Russell, who is a member of the Natural Voice Practitioners Network, has worked with us for over two decades.  She has now decided to split her time between music and voluntary social and political roles and is unable to commit to teaching every week.

The ideal candidate will have experience of working with non-auditioned adult community choirs, will share our values and guidelines and live in or relatively near Burnley.

Here are full details about the MD post: Job description and person specification (3 hrs weekly at MU rates in term time; additional hours for performances etc by negotiation)

We are also introducing an Apprentice Musical Director position to offer an opportunity for young/inexperienced choir leaders who are starting out and might like to "shadow" more experienced leader/s. Here is our 'Common Understanding' which explains this relationship and the skills training we plan to offer.

We would very much like to hear from both experienced Choir Leaders and 'newcomers' before the middle of December. Our aim is to have our new MD in place by March 2022 at the latest and the Apprentice MD in place early in 2022.

To apply for either position please send a CV and covering letter (with any relevant audio/images you may wish) and stating when you could start and on which days/times you would be available, to Barbara Sanders @ Burnley@clarion-choir.co.uk by 15th December. You can use the same e-mail address if you have any questions or would like further information.