Artistic Director

Ragazzi Boys Chorus is a premier choral organization located in the San Francisco Bay Area dedicated to musical excellence and the development of boys and young men.

Position Summary
The Artistic Director will serve as the senior artistic leader of Ragazzi Boys Chorus, providing vision, artistic leadership, and educational excellence across the organization’s choral program. The role includes maintaining the high standard of artistry, rigorous musicianship education, and positive youth development, while serving as an ambassador to families, donors, and the broader community.

Roles and Responsibilities
Artistic Leadership

Provide overall artistic vision and leadership for the choral program.

Conduct premier ensembles and oversee artistic quality across all choir levels.

Maintain and elevate standards of vocal production, musicianship, performance preparation, and repertoire selection.

Develop age‑appropriate pedagogical approaches for unchanged and changing male voices, particularly soprano and alto voices, during vocal transition.

Organize and facilitate summer training programs held both during the day and in off‑site camp venues.

Plan and lead tours, including yearly international tours involving 100 boys.

Lead artistic planning, repertoire development, touring, collaborations, recordings, and performances.

Ensure artistic programming reflects excellence, educational value, and the organization’s mission.

Embrace other artistic leadership responsibilities as needed.

Educational Leadership

Serve as a teacher and mentor for singers and artistic staff.

Recruit, supervise, support, and evaluate conductors, accompanists, and teaching artists.

Foster a consistent pedagogical approach across the organization.

Support student musicianship development, including sight‑singing and music literacy.

Integrate best practices in child development, social‑emotional learning, and youth engagement into rehearsal culture.

Create a collaborative, accountable, and mission‑driven artistic culture.

Demonstrate diplomacy, emotional intelligence, and effective people‑management skills.

Embrace other educational leadership responsibilities as needed.

Organizational Leadership

Partner closely with Board leadership.

Contribute to strategic planning and organizational growth initiatives.

Participate as an ambassador for the organization with families, donors, schools, and community partners.

Support recruitment, retention, and community engagement efforts.

Build strong relationships with parents through professionalism, communication, and responsiveness.

Embrace other organizational leadership responsibilities as needed.

Traits and Characteristics
The Artistic Director will be a people‑oriented and highly interactive leader who builds strong relationships and communicates effectively with singers, families, staff, and community partners, fostering a culture of trust, engagement, and shared purpose. They will navigate a dynamic artistic environment with ease, balancing performance demands, educational priorities, and organizational goals while valuing diverse perspectives and contributing selflessly within a team‑driven culture.

Key Competencies

Diplomacy and Personal Accountability – The capability to effectively and tactfully handle difficult or sensitive issues while being answerable for personal actions.

Leadership – The capacity to organize, support, and influence people to believe in a vision while creating a sense of purpose and direction.

Time and Priority Management – The organizational acumen to prioritize and complete tasks to deliver desired outcomes within allotted time frames.

Teamwork and Self‑Starting – The aptitude to cooperate with others to meet objectives while demonstrating initiative and willingness to begin working.

Compensation and Benefits
Ragazzi offers a competitive and equitable compensation package, with a base salary estimated between $130,000 and $150,000. Candidates with significant financial or fundraising experience may be considered for an Artistic and Executive Director role, with a salary of up to $180,000. Benefits include a range of health coverage options, with Ragazzi Boys Chorus contributing 70% of premium costs for employees’ choice of medical plans, including Anthem Blue Cross Gold PPO E, Anthem Blue Cross Silver PPO C, Kaiser Gold HMO B, and Kaiser Gold HMO D. Comprehensive dental coverage is provided through the Humana Dental PPO, and vision coverage is offered through the Humana Vision Plus 200 plan, both fully employer‑paid. Ragazzi also supports long‑term financial planning through a Vanguard 403(b) retirement savings program, allowing employees to make elective pre‑tax or Roth contributions. Ragazzi offers a robust paid time off policy, including 15 days of PTO annually and 10 paid holidays each year, plus paid time off between Christmas and New Year’s Day without requiring employees to use vacation time.

Requirements
A bachelor’s degree in music is required, with an advanced degree preferred, and 8 to 10 years of progressively responsible leadership in a choral program. Demonstrated success in artistic direction, organizational leadership, and planning is essential, as is a strong record of program development and community engagement. The Artistic Director will bring proven experience managing and inspiring teams of artistic staff and working effectively with a board of directors and diverse stakeholders. Exceptional musical expertise, including choral pedagogy, experience with various methodologies employed in choral training, and the ability to work with children’s social‑emotional development is necessary. A thorough understanding of the specific developmental needs of boys’ voices during adolescence, with focus on alto and soprano voices, is required. Excellent interpersonal, communication, and relationship‑building skills, with a collaborative and mission‑driven approach, are essential.

Application Instructions
To submit a cover letter and resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments, please visit the application page linked on the Ragazzi Boys Chorus website.

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