Assistant Professor of Choral Conducting

Faculty - Tenure/Tenure Track

No

Regular

Yes

University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas is a land grant institution, classified by the Carnegie Foundation among the nation’s top 2 percent of universities with the highest level of research activity. The University of Arkansas works to advance the state and build a better world through education, research, and outreach by providing transformational opportunities and skills, fostering a welcoming climate, and nurturing creativity, discovery, and the spread of new ideas and innovations.

The University of Arkansas campus is located in Fayetteville, a welcoming community ranked as one of the best places to live in the U.S. The growing region surrounding Fayetteville is home to numerous Fortune 500 companies and one of the nation’s strongest economies. Northwest Arkansas is also quickly gaining a national reputation for its focus on the arts and overall quality of life.

As an employer, the University of Arkansas offers a vibrant work environment and a workplace culture that promotes a healthy work-life balance. The benefits package includes university contributions to health, dental, life and disability insurance, tuition waivers for employees and their families, 12 official holidays, immediate leave accrual, and a choice of retirement programs with university contributions ranging from 5 to 10% of employee salary.

Below you will find the details for the position including any supplementary documentation and questions, you should review before applying for the opening.

If you have a disability and need assistance with the hiring process, please submit a request via the Disability Accommodations | OEOC | University of Arkansas (uark.edu) : Request an Accommodation. Appli­cants are required to submit a request for each position of which they have applied.

For general application assistance or if you have questions about a job posting, please contact Human Resources at 479.575.5351.

Department of Music

https://music.uark.edu

The Department of Music in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Arkansas invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Choral Conducting who will serve as Director of Choral Activities to start in August 2027. This is a standard nine-month faculty appointment.

The ideal candidate should possess exceptional musicianship, effective rehearsal and leadership skills, a dynamic and creative vision for the department’s choral program, a strong record of successful teaching in higher education, and potential for significant scholarly and/or artistic work. This position will lead the university’s nationally recognized choral program fostering a collaborative environment that promotes artistic excellence and supports the development of student musicians. The successful candidate will program engaging and educationally appropriate repertoire including both traditional and contemporary compositions, cultivating performances that enrich the university and broader community. Effective communication, collegiality, and a cooperative spirit are essential.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate a strong commitment to student success through effective teaching, mentorship, and the recruitment of talented musicians at regional and national levels. The ideal candidate will also build and sustain partnerships with public schools, community organizations, and professional musicians to strengthen recruitment, engagement, and the visibility of the choral program.

In addition to conducting, the successful candidate will teach undergraduate and graduate courses, including those at the doctoral level. Responsibilities may include providing individual instruction, leading classes, and supervising dissertations and recitals as appropriate. Teaching assignments will include conducting choral ensembles, teaching undergraduate and graduate conducting, choral literature with other possibilities determined in accordance with the candidate’s expertise and scholarly/creative interests. Additional responsibilities include participation in departmental service, curriculum development, and scholarly or creative activity consistent with rank and university expectations.

This is an in-person position. Most university classes are offered face-to-face, and extensive in-person engagement in such activities as office hours, student advising, and departmental, college, and university committee meetings is essential to advancing student success and departmental effectiveness.

Regular, reliable, and non-disruptive attendance is an essential job duty, as is the ability to create and maintain collegial, harmonious working relationships with others.

About the Department:
The University of Arkansas Department of Music is housed in the George and Boyce Billingsley Music Building in the heart of the University's flagship campus in Fayetteville. The Department has been accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music since 1951. Home to over 300 music majors, minors, and graduate students, the department has a faculty of over 45 nationally and internationally recognized scholars, pedagogues, and musicians. The program offers degrees at the bachelor and master levels, as well as a doctorate in Conducting. The department fosters excellence in education, research, and creative activities, and is committed to connecting with communities. Our students and faculty recently made music in all 75 Arkansas counties and are embarking on this project again. The department envisions a place to prepare students to be leaders in the 21st-century musical world. The Department of Music has been an All-Steinway School since 2010, and is home to a number of ensembles, many of which have toured nationally and internationally. The Razorback Marching Band, originally formed as a Cadet Corps Band in 1874, is the largest and most visible of the ensembles, performing for thousands of Razorback fans most weekends in the fall semester. Schola Cantorum, the University's longest running choral ensemble, was founded almost 70 years ago. The Department also offers Inspirational Chorale and three additional choirs, University Symphony Orchestra, Opera Theatre, Latin American Music Ensemble, World Music Ensemble, Jazz Orchestra, four concert bands including the Wind Ensemble, and a variety of chamber music groups for students. For more information, please visit https://fulbright.uark.edu/departments/music/

Duties will include:
• 40% Teaching or Professional Performance
• 40% Research/Scholarly and/or Creative Activities
• 20% Academic Service Activities

• Terminal degree in Choral Conducting, Choral Music Education or a closely related field from an accredited institution of higher education conferred by the date of initial appointment
• Demonstrated experience conducting and leading collegiate choral ensembles
• Evidence of, or a demonstrated potential for, an active research agenda and/or creative activity relevant to choral conducting (e.g., performances, recordings, publications, compositions, arrangements, etc.)

 

• Demonstrated ability to recruit for and build a choral program
• Demonstrated ability to conduct a wide range of choral repertoire, genres, and ensemble settings
• At least two (2) years of experience teaching at the collegiate level

 

Criminal Background Check, Sex Offender Registry

The University of Arkansas is committed to providing a safe campus community. We conduct background checks for applicants being considered for employment. Background checks include a criminal background check and a sex offender registry check. For certain positions, there may also be a financial (credit) background check, a Motor Vehicle Registry (MVR) check, and/or drug screening. Required checks are identified in the position listing. A criminal conviction or arrest pending adjudication or adverse financial history information alone shall not disqualify an applicant in the absence of a relationship to the requirements of the position. Background check information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.

The University of Arkansas seeks to attract, develop and retain high quality faculty, staff and administrators that consistently display practices and behaviors to advance a culture that embeds equal opportunity, educational excellence and unparalleled access for all.

The University of Arkansas is an equal opportunity institution. The University does not discriminate in its education programs or activities (including in admission and employment) on the basis of any category or status protected by law, including age, race, color, national origin, disability, religion, protected veteran status, military service, genetic information, sex, sexual preference, or pregnancy. Questions or concerns about the application of Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, may be sent to the University’s Title IX Coordinator and to the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

Persons must have proof of legal authority to work in the United States on the first day of employment.

All Application information is subject to public disclosure under the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.

Salary is commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Cover Letter/Letter of Application, Curriculum Vitae, List of three Professional References (name, email, business title), Other (see special instructions for details), Statement of Teaching Philosophy

Proof of Veteran Status

Jake Hertzog, associate professor, jhertzog@uark.edu

Completed applications received by November 10, 2026, will be assured full consideration. Late applications will be reviewed as necessary to fill the position.

For additional inquiries, please contact the search committee chair, Jake Hertzog, at jhertzog@uark.edu.

Applicants must submit:
• Cover letter addressing qualifications and interest in the position
• One (1) statement of teaching philosophy
• Curriculum vitae
• One PDF document containing:
• Two (2) video links to choral performances demonstrating contrasting repertoire and/or ensembles [maximum of 15 minutes per performance].
• One (1) link to an uninterrupted 10–15-minute rehearsal video.
• Contact information for three professional references

Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

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