The Cambridge Society for Early Music is looking for music history scholars or experts to serve as CSEM scholars-in-residence for the concert season 2025-2026.

The CSEM scholars-in-residence will serve as a professional resource to the CSEM’s staff and board as well as assist in providing outreach materials for CSEM audiences, which may include: presenting pre-concert talks, writing newsletter articles; or preparing program notes for concert programs.

CSEM is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the musical enjoyment and education of the general public through the performance and increased understanding of music composed prior to the nineteenth century. We seek to sponsor and provideconcerts of early music in the finest possible performances and at the lowest possible cost to the public. CSEM also sponsors workshops in a variety of settings, and fosters new talent with opportunities for performance and recognition. In its 2025-2026 concert season, CSEM presents three ensembles specialized in music from the medieval, baroque and classical periods.Visit our website to find out more about our mission, 70-year history and upcoming concert season.

Our aim is two-fold:

1) to offer CSEM audiences compelling and informative materials that bring our concerts to life, help our audience discover connections between the music and their lives, and spark a lively curiosity for Early Music in people of all ages.

2) to give scholars the opportunity to translate their extensive knowledge into formats that are approachable and engaging for a general audience.

Each CSEM scholar-in-residence will be expected to

Research and prepare one 20-minute pre-concert talk to be presented before each of three concerts in one CSEM concert cycle.
Contribute an article to the CSEM newsletter on a topic of her/his own choosing but of interest to the CSEM audience
Assist artists and management with program notes as needed.

CSEM will provide a token stipend of $300 per concert cycle to start.

Qualifications:

Excellent and engaging writing and speaking skills
Knowledge of music history prior to the 19th century
Proven ability to engage with a general audience

How To Apply:

Interested candidates, including graduate students, postdocs and recent graduates are encouraged to apply by submitting the following materials to this form:

CV
Short 500-word sample pre-concert talk that introduces one of the works to be performed in the CSEM 2025/26 concert season or another Early Music work of your choosing.
Reference from someone who knows your work and can attest to its quality and to your ability to connect with a general audience

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until positions are filled with a preference for applications submitted before September 30, 2025.

Apply by:

September 30, 2025

Salary:

$300 /

About this Organization:

CSEM presents 15 concerts of early music per year in five different towns in eastern Massachusetts. It presents a few special events including conversations and masterclasses with distinguished artists and seeks to educate and inform the public about music composed up into the early nineteenth century.

The Cambridge Society for Early Music Music Jobs

New Jobs

Early Music Scholar-in-Residence