Harrogate Male Voice Choir is a group of 50+ gentlemen, based in Harrogate, who gather every Tuesday evening (from late August to the following June) to rehearse together in preparation for approximately twelve performances in the year. The choir's main objectives are to have fun in rehearsal and performance, to maintain high performance standards and to raise funds for a range of charities. The choir is seeking a Musical Director who will take up this post in late August 2020. The ideal candidate will be someone who is able to make HMVC a priority, someone who has considerable experience and expertise in choral training and who will teach and continue to develop the choir in a wide variety of styles and genres.
The choir rehearses at Woodlands Methodist Church Hall, Wetherby Road, Harrogate, HG2 7SG, from 7.30-9.30pm on Tuesday evenings. The current Musical Director is Patrick Lee (since April 2014) and he will be vacating the post in May 2020. We also have two excellent pianists - David Mawson and David Ward-Campbell.
The administration of the choir is undertaken by the main Choir Committee and the MD is an ex-officio member of this committee. The new Musical Director should expect to be at all rehearsals (up to 40 per year) and concerts and will also be required to attend meetings of the main committee (approximately 6-8 p.a.). Furthermore, the MD is the lead member of the choir's Music Committee.
The choir has created an outreach project, "Sing Out", which is intended to foster close working relationships with local primary schools. The inaugural concert, in May 2017, was hugely successful and rewarding for all concerned, as was the second Sing Out performance in 2018. 2019 is the 50th Anniversary of the choir. The major celebratory concert was held at the Royal Hall in Harrogate last May, when we welcomed the internationally renowned vocal ensemble, VOCES8, as our principal guests. We will be picking up the reins of the Sing Out project again in 2020, collaborating with two primary schools - Grove Road Primary in Harrogate and Masham C of E Primary School.
The Musical Director of Harrogate Male Voice Choir post offers an honorarium - details will be discussed with individual candidates at the interview.
Interested applicants should submit two documents to the Chairman, Mr. Peter Allen, peterallenhouse@icloud.com, tel.07828 582461. (1) a letter of application explaining what the applicant feels she/he can offer Harrogate MVC. It should also include the applicant's views on the future for MVCs and their thoughts on how they will accommodate singers of all abilities; (2) a copy of their Curriculum Vitae, covering musical background and experience. The closing date for applications is Saturday 14th December 2019. Please ensure that a postal address is included in the letter of application.
We offer an open invitation and a warm welcome to all applicants who wish to attend our regular rehearsal on 7th January 2020, when they can discover the choir's capabilities at first hand. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview and audition which will take place on either 21st or 28th January 2020. If you are unable to attend one or both of these dates, please let us know in your letter of application.
For further information, please visit the Harrogate MVC website. www.harrogatemvc.org.uk, or search on YouTube for our videos.
