Chorus Administrator

PEV CHORUS ADMINISTRATOR 

Objective  

In the 2020-21 season, Pacific Edge Voices (PEV) celebrated its 40th anniversary, making it  one of the longest standing choral organizations in the Bay Area. The PEV administrator  manages the week-to-week administrative business of this member-run organization, reporting  to PEV’s elected board of directors and working closely with PEV’s music director and  accountant. The ideal candidate will be a responsive and skilled communicator, who is also  highly organized, attentive to details and able to manage a wide variety of responsibilities. This position requires  someone who can balance working independently and proactively, while receiving direction and  input. Duties may evolve throughout the year, including special projects from the board. Flexibility is a great asset.

This is a part-time position, averaging 8-10 hours/week, but the actual distribution of time  commitment varies during the season. PEV has no physical offices, so the administrator will  work from their own space. PEV’s mailing address, rehearsals and meetings are in Berkeley.  PEV performs in both the East Bay and San Francisco and occasionally further afield.  

Principal Duties and Responsibilities  

Internal-facing 

- Maintain organizational calendar, including working with board, music director and  accompanist to schedule current and future seasons 

- Maintain and update member roster 

- Onboard new members 

- Collect and track payment of member dues and music fees, plus any other project- specific payments, in coordination with PEV accountant 

- Work collaboratively with a volunteer committee to organize and coordinate logistics for an annual fundraising event 

- Attend monthly board meetings, as needed (typically scheduled prior to a Monday-night rehearsal)

- Attend weekly rehearsals (currently Monday evenings in Berkeley) and dress rehearsals  preceding each concert set, as needed, to conduct business with members. 

- Attend rehearsal retreats, as needed (currently one each in fall and spring) 

- At the direction of the music director and board, contract instrumentalists to accompany  concerts, when appropriate and budgeted 

- Coordinate with accountant on payroll and contract payments 

- Organize and manage logistics of auditions to select new and returning choir members once or twice per season 

- Organize and manage the logistics of bulk mailings, as needed 

- Communicate effectively, professionally and proactively with the board, music director,  accountant, chorus members, donors and volunteers 

External-facing 

- Engage with outside vendors and entities, including but not limited to box office services,  rehearsal and performance venues, contract musicians, US Postal Service, ASCAP,  insurance companies, foundations, online platforms (e.g., Zoom, GiveLively, Eventbrite, etc.)

- At the direction of the board and/or music director, negotiate, book and contract with  venues for all PEV activities (rehearsals, concerts, events, retreats, etc.) 

- Organize equipment rentals and maintenance, as needed and directed 

- Apply for and secure all necessary licenses, as needed (music, liquor, etc.) 

- Manage all external business communications (mail and email correspondence, telephone inquiries) on behalf of the organization in a timely and professional manner.  

Financial Management 

- Receive, acknowledge and coordinate with accountant all payments and donations to  the organization from individual and corporate donors, government agencies and  foundations. 

- Manage annual recurring grants and help to identify grant opportunities; manage application process; participate in writing and preparing applications, with contributions and guidance from board, music director, volunteers and accountant. 

Experience/Skills  

- Demonstrated success with administrative, management or other equivalent responsibilities 

- Required computer skills: email, word-processing (e.g., MS Word or Google docs),  spreadsheets (e.g., Excel or Google sheets) 

- Desirable computer skills: website management (WordPress), database management,  mailing list database/email marketing 

- Experience or familiarity with non-profit organizational operations strongly desired 

- Love of choral or ensemble-based music is a big plus (although not required)

- Experience or familiarity with operation of choruses or other performing entities a plus 

- Experience working with volunteers a plus 

- Experience writing grants a plus 

- Experience with bookkeeping a plus

- Physical requirements:  

- Must be willing/able to travel to the East Bay as needed to conduct business (bank, PO  box), attend meetings and rehearsals as required 

- Must be able to lift and transport boxes of equipment up to 30 pounds 

- Access to a personal vehicle strongly desired 

 

About PEV  

Founded in 1980 as Pacific Mozart Ensemble (PME), Pacific Edge Voices (PEV) is a chamber sized chorus that attracts highly skilled volunteer singers with strong and diverse artistic  backgrounds. This auditioned chorus has toured in the U.S. and internationally, performing in  Carnegie Hall, Cuba and Europe. Collaborations with well-known artists have included Dave  Brubeck, Bobby McFerrin, Sufjan Stevens and Meredith Monk. Their recordings include a  Grammy-nominated recording of Leonard Bernstein’s Mass with Kent Nagano and the  Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester in Berlin (Harmonia Mundi, 2006).  

In 2014, the group changed its name to Pacific Edge Voices to reflect the chorus’s distinct and  longstanding practice of performing multiple musical genres across each season (traditional and  contemporary choral works, world music, American music of all kinds, including jazz and pop),  collaborating with diverse artists on new works, and presenting adventurous and innovative  vocal music programs. The chorus is chamber-sized, with 30-40 members. The typical PEV  season features at least two concert sets of contemporary and classical choral works in  December and April, a fundraiser event in February/March, and a largely member-programmed a  cappella Jazz & Pop concert set in June. More information at pacificedgevoices.org.