Part-Time Rehearsal Pianist

Brooklyn Youth Chorus

About Our Organization

Brooklyn Youth Chorus is an award-winning city-wide music education and vocal performance program for children ages 5-18 of all levels of experience.  As a collective of young singers and vocal ensembles, Brooklyn Youth Chorus is reimagining choral music performance through artistic innovation, collaboration, and an incredibly versatile range and repertoire. The Chorus’s multi-level training program draws students from across the five boroughs and combines intensive voice training and musicianship study with exceptional performance experiences. Children of diverse backgrounds come to the Chorus to share their love singing, make new friends, and achieve and surpass their musical goals.

Brooklyn Youth Chorus believes every voice matters and is committed to building and sustaining a diverse and inclusive community based on respect for each individual and an appreciation of our differences. To ensure access to all students, regardless of background or financial circumstances, the Chorus provides broad financial support for both chorus and elective music program tuition. Founded in 1992 by Artistic Director Dianne Berkun Menaker, Brooklyn Youth Chorus has served over 10,000 students over its thirty-year history with hundreds enrolling each year in its core after-school and public school outreach programs. Classes take place in Brooklyn at their Cobble Hill headquarters and neighborhood locations in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Heights, and Carroll Gardens.

Job Position Summary

Brooklyn Youth Chorus is seeking a part-time Rehearsal Pianist (or Pianists) to accompany weekly Training Division choir rehearsals for the 2024-2025 season (September 2024 – May 2025). Rehearsal staffing includes a Conductor, Rehearsal Manager, and Rehearsal Pianist. The Rehearsal Pianist is responsible for accompanying the rehearsal under the direction of the Conductor including supporting vocal warm-ups, giving parts (individual lines, multi-parts, with or without separate piano accompaniment), as well as playing the written accompaniment line. Repertoire includes a diverse range of genres and styles. Each level will have a unique set of repertoire both in the fall (Sept – Dec) and in the spring (Jan – May). Strong sight-reading is a must and comfort with multiple musical styles is preferred.

Program assistants are expected to work Brooklyn Youth Chorus’s annual winter and spring all-school concerts each of which takes place over multiple days.  The first of these performances, Holiday Harmonies, consists of three concerts on Friday, Dec. 13 and Saturday, December 14, 2024. The second set of these performances, Spring Sings, is tentatively set for May 16-17, 2025. 

This position reports directly to the Director of Program Operations and will run from September 2024 to May 2025 with the possibility to be renewed for future seasons.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE

Brooklyn Youth Chorus is currently seeking Rehearsal Pianists for the following rehearsals:

Thursdays: 4:00-5:00PM and 5:15-6:45PM at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (199 Carroll Street; Brooklyn) 

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Belief in the mission and core values of Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
  • Experience working with young people from a diverse set of backgrounds
  • Collaborative pianist experience, particularly working with choral ensembles 
  • Knowledge of and comfort playing repertoire from a diverse range of genres
  • Strong sight-reading skills, open score sight-reading a plus
  • Bachelor’s degree in music performance or commensurate experience

Roles & Responsibilities

How to Apply

Please send a statement of interest, resume, and at least two professional references to resume@brooklynyouthchorus.org. Only qualified candidates will be contacted. No calls, please. EOE.

Brooklyn Youth Chorus is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in all areas including artistic and education programs and recruitment of choristers, volunteers, staff, and its Board of Trustees. We stand for absolute respect for each individual; an appreciation and understanding of the broad spectrum of all our differences be they cultural, racial, religious, socio-economic, or based on sexual identity, gender, physical or intellectual ability; and the ability to experience bonds of friendship through the joy of music. We celebrate open-mindedness and critical thinking, and seek to create opportunities for students to explore and embrace these important values together. We recognize that a diverse community is an asset that must be continually cared for, preserved, and enhanced, with constant attention, for the benefit of all its members.