Orchestra Manager

London Mozart Players (LMP) is seeking a passionate and proactive Orchestra Manager to join our dynamic and close-knit team. With our concert and event diary rapidly filling up and new artistic partnerships on the horizon, now is a very exciting time to be part of our management team.

Contract Type
Salary
Location
Application Closing Date
Interviews

Full time, (35 hours per week), Permanent
£27,000 – £29,000 per annum
Fairfield Halls, Croydon, plus frequent travel across the UK and occasional travel internationally
11.59pm, Sunday 9 July
Thursday 20 and Friday 21 July

Established by Harry Blech in 1949, LMP is proud to be the UK’s longest established chamber orchestra. Since that time, we have built a reputation for artistic excellence, as well as pioneering ground-breaking work with emerging young artists and within our local communities. Over the past year, we have continued exploring a number of new and exciting concert formats, including Pipe Dreams, featuring organist Anna Lapwood who provided our audiences with an immersive experience by equipping her organ with cameras; our upcoming gaming concert featuring works by Jessica Curry, and hosting the launch event for Croydon’s year as London Borough of Culture – a huge cross-genre, interdisciplinary project which saw the commission of brand new piece, the Oratorio of Hope. (You can read more about it in The Times review by Richard Morrison). This, in addition to our international work visiting nations such as Israel and Hong Kong.

Some things we’re proud of:

In 1989, we became the the first orchestra in the UK to have a female Artistic Director (Jane Glover)
In 2017, we won the Cultural Impact Award at the Croydon Business Excellence Awards.
In 2018, we commissioned a special Anthem for Peace following the riots in Croydon, involving hundreds of artists and performers from across the borough.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were the first orchestra to produce free-to-view online content for audiences through our At Home with LMP series. We were also the first to perform in a public space when the first lockdown was lifted, and filmed an audience-free concert at Westfield Shopping Centre.
We launched Croydon’s Borough of Culture year in April 2023 with an opening weekend concert complete with new commissions, films, and dance. You can watch our video trailer here.

Who we are

Don’t let our name mislead you – we don’t just play in London, and we certainly don’t just play Mozart! As well as our residencies at Fairfield Halls in Croydon, St John the Evangelist in Upper Norwood, and Opus Theatre in Hastings, we’re well known internationally for working with many of the world’s greatest conductors and soloists. We’re proud to have developed a reputation for making and playing adventurous, ambitious and accessible music, and for being at the forefront of embedding arts and culture into the life of local communities across the UK and beyond.

After celebrating our 70^th birthday in 2019, we soon found ourselves navigating orchestra life during the pandemic in 2020. During that time, we remained active and busy, creating an award-winning digital concert series which reached millions of people – reaffirming our commitment to our audiences even in times of challenge, finding new ways to exercise our creativity.

Now, we’re excited to be working back in person, creating lots of new concerts and programmes to surprise and delight our audiences. We opened the launch event for Croydon’s Borough of Culture in April 2023, and we’ll be continuing to host our own concerts and events throughout the year.

Where you fit in

As Orchestra Manager, your role will be key in overseeing the delivery of our concerts and events. Whilst our Artistic Projects Manager will work on shaping the content of our concert and event programmes, you will lead on the logistical and operational arrangements needed to bring our artistic visions – including the very important task of booking in players. Working with us will give you the opportunity to work across a breadth of interesting and varied events, from royal gala dinners (HRH Prince Edward is our Royal Patron), to immersive concerts and interdisciplinary projects.

Who we’re looking for

This role will be perfect for you if:

You’re eager to learn about the inner workings of a professional artistic organisation, or you’re an experienced Orchestra Manager looking to work with a highly established chamber orchestra
You enjoy having lots of variety in your work
You’re a skilled multi-tasker who is capable of spinning lots of plates

You’ll definitely need:

The right to live and work in the UK (unfortunately we’re not in a position to sponsor work visas)
A full, clean driving licence
An enthusiasm for the work of the London Mozart Players, arts, music and culture
A good knowledge of orchestral repertoire
A working understanding of how concerts and events are planned and managed
To be very organised, with a meticulous attention to detail
A willingness to get stuck in with different types of tasks
The ability to work across a range of different projects and areas simultaneously
A way with people – great relationship-building and communication skills as well as emotional intelligence and sensitivity
A cool head, with the ability to work well under pressure and to tight deadlines
To be highly proactive, good at anticipating needs and finding solutions to unexpected problems
Up-to-date IT skills and confidence learning new software
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
The ability to adapt to and prioritise a shifting workload
The ability to work as part of a small, close-knit team

It would also be a bonus (but not essential) if you have:

A car that you can use for work
The ability to read music
Previously worked for an arts and culture organisation
Some understanding of the orchestral world or of working in an arts environment, either on a professional or non-professional basis
A personal connection to Croydon

Please be aware that the stage management elements of the role may not be suitable for candidates with mobility constraints – if you are unsure of how this might impact you, please do get in touch with Artistic Projects Manager Sophie Haynes via email to [email protected] for a confidential conversation ahead of applying.

For more details on the role responsibilities and person specification, please download the Orchestra Manager Candidate Application Pack.

How to Apply

The final closing date for applications is 11.59pm on Sunday 9 July 2023. Shortlisted applicants will then be invited to attend an interview on Thursday 20 or Friday 21 July.

To apply, please complete the Orchestra Manager application form. To complete the form, you will need to provide a link for us to download your CV, plus answers to the following three questions:

What makes you a great fit for this role? (When answering this question, please refer to the person specification below).

Please give us an example of a concert or event that you have planned and / or managed. What steps did you take before and during the event to ensure its success?

What do you feel are the three most important considerations to building good working relationships with performers and promoters?

It’s really important to us that we build an inclusive and diverse organisation that reflects the rich cultural blends of the communities we serve. We recognise that diversity brings a wealth of benefits to us as an organisation and our audiences, and strongly encourage applications from musicians of all ages, of Black, Asian, and ethnically diverse backgrounds, women, trans and non-binary candidates, LGBTQ+ candidates and those that are disabled.

If you have any access needs relevant to the application process, or if you would like to have an informal chat about the role before applying, please get in touch with Artistic Projects Manager Sophie Haynes via email to [email protected] by Tuesday 4 July. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to sponsor work visas, therefore we can only consider applicants who already have the right to work and live in the UK.

Download the Application Pack

Complete the Application Form