CoMA London is CoMA's resident ensemble in the capital. It is a mixed ability group of about 25 musicians - including strings, woodwind, brass, percussion and piano - who are passionate about making and supporting new music. We take inclusivity very seriously and have a range of ages, experiences and musical abilities in the ensemble. You will need to design repertoire and rehearsals to keep very good players interested while supporting all musicians to perform to their best. The ensemble performs three or four concerts a year and often works directly with the composers. Recent collaborations have included Edward Nesbit, Lloyd Coleman, Heloise Werner and nonclassical associate composers. We have performed at venues such as Iklectik, King's Place and St John's Smith Square, and have appeared at national festivals. The aim is always to create a compelling event that excites and challenges our audience. This requires a mix of high expectations, careful allocation of parts, energetic rehearsals and clear direction on what and how to improve. We have two composers in residence in the ensemble every year, undertake projects with student composers and support more established composers to write for amateur groups. You will need excellent communication skills to motivate the next generation of composers and give feedback with diplomacy. You will have a lot of opportunity to explore creative programmes. Alongside our usual rehearsals we will often have workshops on improvisation and group composing, and we run evenings in which members have the opportunity to try out their own compositional ideas with the ensemble. Rehearsals Location Pay Job to begin Job duration ESSENTIAL Qualifications: Skills and abilities: Personal attributes: DESIRABLE Qualifications: Skills and abilities: Specific duties, to: With the ensemble committee, to: Please email the following to [email protected] by 5pm on Friday 11 April, 2025, including “CoMA London music director application” in the subject line: If you have any questions at all, please email Matthew Gilley, chair of CoMA London ensemble, at [email protected]Job Summary
Job Description
Every Tuesday 7pm-9.15pm during term times (35-40 rehearsals each year)
Queen Mary University, Mile End, London, E1 4NS
£110 per rehearsal
£300 per concert (expect 3 a year)
£200 termly admin fee (3 a year)
September 2025
Permanent contract, with a minimum term of one yearJob Requirements
Job Responsibilities
Useful Links
How to Apply
-A CV in PDF or word document format
-A letter in PDF or word document format answering the following questions at the indicated lengths: Why do you want to be music director of CoMA London ensemble? (maximum 100 words); Please describe your experience of working with adult leisure-time and community groups (maximum 75 words); What is your approach to working with such groups to get the most out of them? (maximum 150 words); What experience do you have of contemporary music and what do you think will be different about leading a contemporary music ensemble? (maximum 150 words)
-A video of you conducting. This must be a link to a video that the assessment panel can stream. We will not be able to download video attachments.