Artistic Director

Position Overview

As we approach the retirement of our founding Artistic Director in June of 2026, Chicago Chorale seeks a visionary musical leader who will work closely with the Board of Directors to set the course for the organization’s next chapter.

The Artistic Director is the organization’s primary representative to its singing members and the community, promoting excellence in performance, excitement about the group’s mission, and investment by its stakeholders. This is a part-time, contract-based position that will include regular evening and occasional weekend rehearsals as well as attendance at Board meetings and other periodic commitments. While the hours are non-standard, responsibilities are expected to average 10 to 15 hours per week.

The Artistic Director is supported by a part-time Managing Director. The position is renewable by mutual agreement of the Artistic Director and the Board of Directors.

Please note that this successful candidate will begin their term as Artistic Director of Chicago Chorale in summer 2027 in advance of the choir’s 2027-28 season. As part of the selection process, three finalists for the Artistic Director position will be invited to serve as paid Guest Conductors for the choir’s 2026-27 season. As a finalist, you would select repertoire and prepare the choir over a ten-week rehearsal period that includes eleven rehearsals and culminates in two performances in Chicago on mutually agreed upon dates.

Chicago Chorale is a distinguished, 60-voice choir based in Chicago's historic Hyde Park neighborhood and composed of dedicated volunteer singers from throughout Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana. Founded by Bruce Tammen in 2001, we rehearse weekly on Wednesday nights and occasional Saturday mornings, and currently program three concert cycles per year, performing in November, March, and late May or early June. In addition to our concert programs, we participate in community events each year during the month of December: a Vespers service at a local monastery and a caroling sing-along that raises funds for non-profit organizations on the city’s south side.

Our repertoire ranges from beloved a cappella and orchestral works to overlooked masterpieces and newly commissioned music. We are known for delivering sensitive and thought-provoking performances of classical, baroque, romantic, and neoromantic works sung in their original languages. With more than ten recordings, multiple Ravinia performances, and four international tours to our credit, we are committed above all to artistic excellence and integrity and to challenging and inspiring our singers and audience members alike.

Chicago Chorale enriches the lives of those in its community by broadening awareness of and deepening its audience’s emotional connection to great choral music.

• Volunteer Ethos: We are a professional-level ensemble of singers who cultivate our craft out of love and dedication, giving freely of our time and talent; no one is paid to sing in the ensemble
• Challenging Repertoire: Our members expect to perform difficult music. While they bring a spectrum of formal training levels to the group, Chorale singers practice outside of rehearsals and discipline themselves during rehearsals to master the musical and linguistic details of the works we sing
• Artistic Excellence: Rigorous auditions and rehearsals enable us to uphold the highest performance standards and distinguish ourselves within Chicago’s classical music community

• Artistic Leadership:
  • Collaborate with the Board of Directors to develop and execute an Artistic Vision
  • Plan and conduct three concert programs annually (September–June)
  • Select diverse and challenging repertoire
  • Recruit and audition singers to maintain performance standards
  • Hire and oversee rehearsal accompanist
  • Supervise any recordings or contracted performances outside of the concert season (e.g., Ravinia, other summer opportunities)
  • Contract with musicians for performances involving orchestras, instrumentalists, and/or soloists
• Rehearsals and Performances:
  • Conduct all rehearsals and performances
  • Collabora…