Accompanist for the Junior and Senior Choirs

Anonymous

About Oxford Youth Choirs
OYC is a group of six choirs comprising Prep 1 and 2 (ages 4–8), Juniors (ages 8–11), and Seniors (ages 11–18). We rehearse every Saturday morning during term time at the Cherwell School, North Site.
OYC was founded as the Oxford Girls’ Choir in 1984 by Richard Vendome. In 2024, Richard was succeeded as Musical Director by Benedict Goodall. We are a musically ambitious choir and perform a wide range of music. For more information about our choirs, staff, past performances, and upcoming events, visit our website: www.oxfordyouthchoirs.org.uk.

About the Junior and Senior Choirs
Each choir has around 30 members. The Junior Choir rehearses 09:15–11:15am with girls and boys in school years 4–6, and is directed by Margaret Lingas. The Senior Girls’ Choir and Senior Boys’ Choir rehearse 10:30am–12:30pm, and are directed by Musical Director, Benedict Goodall, and the leader of the boys’ choir, Colin Danskin. We welcome children of all genders, backgrounds, and musical abilities.
We learn ambitious repertoire from a variety of musical genres spanning classical, folk, and musical theatre. We expand the musicianship of our members through the advancement of aural skills, theoretical knowledge, vocal technique, and sight-singing. We perform once per term as Oxford Youth Choirs, also joined by the Prep Choirs (Reception–Year 3). There are often extra performance opportunities for our Junior and Senior choirs, many of which are blogged on our website: www.oxfordyouthchoirs.org.uk/events/past-events.

Duties and responsibilities
● Accompany weekly rehearsals (usually Saturday 09:15am–12:30pm), termly concerts, and any additional performances
● Arrive well prepared for all OYC rehearsals, concerts, and events
● Support with the set up and pack down of the rehearsals, if required
● Be friendly and approachable to our young people and keen to share their love of music-making
● Assist in supervision of choir members during break times
● In case of unavailability or illness, arrange a deputy from the approved OYC list
● Undertake safeguarding training when required
● Liaise with other choir staff and trustees
● Occasionally support the directors by leading sectionals with the choirs, when necessary

Person specification
Essential
● Excellent keyboard skills and confident sight-reader
● Experienced accompanist
● A talent for inspiring and connecting with young people to achieve quality performances

Desirable
● Experience working with the Junior and Senior Choirs’ age range (8–18 years old)
● Able singer, willing to support their voice part during rehearsal
● Ability to play the organ

The accompanist is paid £26.88 per hour with additional fees for public performances; N.B. the accompanist rehearsal rate is currently under review.
DBS clearance is required for this position, as is compliance with the OYC Child Protection Policy and Code of Practice. The choir will pay for the DBS check. Applicants must be aged 18 years or older.
To apply, please send a CV and covering letter to Helen Birch: admin@oxfordyouthchoirs.org.uk The deadline for applications is Wednesday 10 June. Interviews and auditions will be held on Saturday 27 June.