Reports to: Executive Director and Artistic Directors
Type: Full-time, exempt, salaried
Salary & Benefits: $75,000-$85,000 annually, commensurate with experience. Generous PTO, Health, Dental, and Vision Insurance
Location: New York, NY – Hybrid work setting, including Manhattan office space and on-site at concert events at multiple venues
Hiring Timeline: Send a cover letter and resume to jobs@theknightsnyc.com with the subject line “Director of Artistic Operations”. Interviews will be held on a rolling basis. The Knights are looking to fill position by mid- to late February.
About The Knights
The Knights are a collective of adventurous musicians dedicated to transforming the orchestral experience and eliminating barriers between audiences and music. Driven by an open-minded spirit of camaraderie and exploration, they inspire listeners with vibrant programs that encompass their roots in the classical tradition and passion for artistic discovery. The orchestra has toured and recorded with renowned soloists including Yo-Yo Ma, Dawn Upshaw, Béla Fleck, Chris Thile, and Gil Shaham, and has appeared across the world’s most prestigious stages, including those at Carnegie Hall, Tanglewood, Ravinia, The Kennedy Center, and the Vienna Musikverein. The Knights evolved from late-night chamber music reading parties with friends at the home of violinist Colin Jacobsen and cellist Eric Jacobsen. The Jacobsen brothers, who are also founding members of the string quartet Brooklyn Rider, serve as Artistic Directors of The Knights, with Eric Jacobsen as conductor and Colin Jacobsen as Concertmaster. Since incorporating in 2007, the orchestra has toured consistently across the United States and Europe.
Position Overview
The Director of Artistic Operations works in tandem with the Artistic Directors and Executive Director on high-level artistic planning and ensures implementation in an organized, efficient and professional manner. The Director of Artistic Operations will work especially closely with the Artistic Directors and serve as a support to them in all processes pertaining to artistic planning, goals and activities, including concerts, touring, recordings, educational activities, etc. The ideal candidate is passionate, creative, knowledgeable, fast-paced, and a self-starter with excellent artistic knowledge, exceptional communication skills, and a proven track-record of effective and successful management of multiple projects simultaneously.
Responsibilities
- Manage program and personnel planning, processes and deadlines, working with the Artistic Directors, Executive Director, and The Knights’ touring management, Opus 3 Artists
- Nurture relationships with agents, artists, publishers, composers, and artistic partners
- Serve as primary on-site staff person for all Knights rehearsals and performances, in rotation with Operations Coordinator
- Secure rehearsal venues, and track contracts and invoices
- Ascertain technical and artist amenities with venue and technical staff, prepare technical riders and advances, rent instruments, technical equipment, etc.
- Oversee and support Librarian and Operations Coordinator in planning for acquisition of orchestral parts, maintaining digital library, securing bowings, etc.
- Supervise / implement stage set-up and rentals at rehearsals and performances; ensure technical rider compliance, help to solve any on-site issues and coordinate with venue staff on set-changes, lighting, amplification
- Hire videographers and sound engineers for recording projects as needed, and capture photos / informal audio recordings during rehearsals for archival reference or social media use
- Book and schedule hotels, charter buses, rental cars, catering and flights for out-of-town performances, and determine final head-counts for all bookings
- Through consultation with Artistic Directors, prepare stage plots, orchestra reference recordings and other production details
- With Artistic Directors and/or Personnel Manager, create rehearsal schedules, calculate musicians’ fees, create work offers, and prepare financial reports and projections related to artistic projects
- Oversee the timeline for musician hiring and orchestra seating for projects in coordination with Personnel Manager and Artistic Directors
- Oversee programming database and calendar of artistic activities
- In partnership with the Executive Director, communicate with contracted soloists, composers and arrangers regarding fees. Prepare and finalize memorandums of understanding and artist agreement contracts for guest artists, composers, and arrangers; and establish delivery deadlines for newly commissioned works.
- Process musician payroll through Quickbooks
- In partnership with the Executive and Artistic Directors, and the musicians’ Review Committee, update The Knights’ Code of Practice as necessary
- Compile and prepare all printed program materials to share with Opus 3 & presenters, including program notes, program listing, musician roster, biographies, press photos, song texts
- Work with the Executive Director and Operations Coordinator on marketing assets that can be used to promote upcoming performances
- Coordinate with Artistic Directors and Director of Educational Programming on planning for educational activities
- Along with the Operations Coordinator, ascertain public announcement/ticketing dates for all performances for website updates and email blasts
- Advance the work of musician-led committees, including the Review Committee, and the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee
- Oversee the annual Innovation Fund application & review processes
- Other duties as assigned
Our Ideal Candidate
Please apply if you have:
- Impeccable communication skills and the ability to work closely with a team in a close, collaborative manner
- 3-5 years arts management experience and knowledge of performance procedures and practices, touring and recording
- Strong knowledge of classical music in particular, along with other musical genres
- The ability to create, streamline and oversee systems, policies, and processes related to artistic planning
- Project management experience
- Solid organization skills with the ability to multitask and prioritize across several active projects
- Software acumen and the ability to manage, use, learn the following software and systems: Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite, Quickbooks Online, and Squarespace
