CBA Symphony Orchestra Conductor Search
The Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra Music Director Job Opening—May 2023
The Chicago Bar Association Symphony Orchestra (CBASO), a community orchestra made up almost entirely of members of Chicago’s legal community, seeks a new Music Director of exceptional musicianship, vision, creativity and flexibility to lead it into its fifth decade. Founded in 1986 and conducted since its inception by music director David (Volosin) Katz, with Marek Rachelski serving as Resident Conductor since 2017, the CBASO is sponsored by The Chicago Bar Association, which also sponsors the 60-member CBA Chorus (Stephen Blackwelder, director) and the Barristers Big Band (led by John Vishneski III, Esq.).
The CBASO rehearses Wednesday evenings September to May at the CBA headquarters in the Chicago Loop or in a courtroom at the Richard J. Daley Center. It performs four orchestra or chorus/orchestra concerts and one chamber ensemble concert each year, making its primary performance home at St. James Episcopal Cathedral, Chicago. The orchestra is also called upon to perform at occasional CBA-sponsored events, including a triennial performance in national celebration of Law Day.
The CBASO is a non-auditioned, self-governing ensemble. Repertoire is drawn from the great orchestral and orchestral/choral tradition, extending from the Baroque through to the modern day. Concerts have ranged from Trial by Jury, (the first performances of Gilbert & Sullivan’s courthouse operetta ever presented in a working courtroom with a cast and orchestra made up entirely of legal professionals) to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, as well as major orchestral and choral-orchestral works by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Britten, Bruckner, Copland, Dvorak, Handel, Haydn, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Orff, Poulenc, Respighi, Rossini, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, and scores of others.
The CBASO under Maestro Katz, joined by the CBA Chorus and guest choirs, presented Orff's Carmina Burana to a capacity audience at Orchestra Hall, Chicago, home of the Chicago Symphony, in celebration of the CBASO's 25th season. The ensemble returned to Symphony Center for Something Wonderful!, an all-Rodgers & Hammerstein concert in spring 2015, and made a third appearance at Symphony Center/Orchestra Hall in a program called Ode to Joy in June 2019. Other notable performances have included a celebration of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial, featuring guest author Doris Kearns Goodwin, and a performance honoring retiring U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice John Paul Stevens.
Four finalists (in addition to Mr. Rachelski) and up to two alternates will be chosen from applications received. Two finalist concerts will be presented during the 2023-24 season, with each finalist rehearsing with the orchestra alternating weeks and then conducting one half of the concert. The orchestra will make its decision in spring 2024. The winning candidate will be introduced to the public at concerts celebrating the 150th anniversary of The Chicago Bar Association in late spring or early fall 2024.
Interested persons should submit the following information no later than 12 noon CDT, Wednesday, July 5, 2023, to this email address: cbasosearch@gmail.com. Absolutely no telephone calls, and no mailed applications will be accepted; all materials must be submitted online in a single email. All applications will be acknowledged upon receipt. Candidates are encouraged to apply early. Questions? Please email cbasosearch@gmail.com.
1. Resume—outlining education and experience. Preference will be given to those candidates who have experience conducting community/non-professional orchestras and those who also have choral conducting experience.
2. References—provide the names, relationships, telephone numbers and emails of up to five individuals who can speak to your experience and qualifications.
3. Repertoire—provide a list of orchestral and choral/orchestral repertoire conducted, clearly marking those pieces performed, those only rehearsed.
4. Video links #1—the conductor in performance. Please submit up to 30 minutes of the conductor in performance. Full works, or full movements of works (from any period) are welcome. No excerpts, please. Be sure to identify the ensemble, the repertoire and the date of the performance. Video recorded from the ensemble’s perspective (facing the conductor) is preferred. Video links on YouTube, Vimeo, or other recognized online storage retrieval systems are preferred. Do NOT submit links that require video to be downloaded to be viewed. Please supply passwords if required to access materials.
5. Video links #2—the conductor in rehearsal. Please submit up to 30 minutes of the conductor in rehearsal. The rehearsal footage need not be of the works conducted in the performance video. Be sure to identify the ensemble, the repertoire and the date of the rehearsal. Video recorded from the ensemble’s perspective (facing the conductor) is preferred. Video links on YouTube, Vimeo, or other recognized online storage retrieval systems are preferred. Do NOT submit links that require video to be downloaded to be viewed. Please supply passwords if required to access materials.
6. Introductory Video—Please submit a short video (1 to 3 minutes maximum) introducing yourself to the search committee. This video may be supplied as a downloadable file. There are no other specific requirements for the introduction video. Be sure the introduction video is clearly labeled with your name.
Useful online information:
The CBASO & CBA Chorus on the CBA’s Website (including links to selected performances)
Other Online Performances
The CBASO & CBA Chorus Blog
The CBASO & CBA Chorus on Facebook
Questions? Email the Conductor Search Committee at: cbasosearch@gmail.com.
The Chicago Bar Association does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, age, spiritual or personal belief, disability, sexual preference or gender identification