Organization

The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) is the only organization in the United States that encompasses three distinct professional art forms — orchestra, opera, and ballet. DPAA’s fundamental conviction is that the arts are for everyone, and its driving purpose is to inspire as many people as possible, of all ages and backgrounds, to fall in love with the arts. Its extensive low-price and free ticket program ensures universally affordable and accessible experiences of ballet, opera, and orchestra for the entire community.

The Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO) was founded in 1933 by visionary conductor and violinist Dr. Paul Katz, and it has a cherished place in Dayton’s history as one of its oldest cultural institutions. The DPO has been an integral part of the community, enriching its cultural fabric. Neal Gittleman has been Music Director since 1995 and later named Artistic Director and Conductor. The all-volunteer Dayton Philharmonic Chorus was introduced in 1935 and still exists today with over 140 members, directed by Dr. Steven Hankle, performing choral music several times a season alongside the DPO in concert. In 1937 the Dayton Philharmonic Training Orchestra was founded, giving young musicians from the area the opportunity to study challenging orchestra repertoire, which established a legacy of educational performances that still continues today as the Dayton Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (DPYO) under the direction of Dr. Patrick Reynolds.

Today, the DPO features a full professional orchestra, five chamber ensembles, a professional concert band, a 140-voice volunteer chorus, and three youth orchestras. Approximately eight pairs of performances take place at the Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, a world-class, state-of-the-art performance hall designed by famed architect César Pelli. Its 2,300-seat Mead Theatre includes a fiber-optically illuminated domed ceiling depicting the Dayton sky as it appeared on the eve of the Wright Brothers first flight on December 16, 1903.

The DPO has shared a diverse range of repertoire from the classical canon as well as 20th and 21st century compositions, which has resulted in the DPO receiving the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) award for Adventurous Programming of Contemporary Music nine times. The DPO performs on four of its own series — Masterworks, SuperPops, Rockin’ Orchestra, and Family — as well as with Dayton Opera and Dayton Ballet.

Together the Opera, Ballet, and Philharmonic open the 2023-2024 DPAA season with a Season Opening Celebration: Prince Orlofsky’s Grand Masquerade, which brings Act 2 of Johann Strauss, II’s Die Fledermaus (The Revenge of the Bat) to life. The season also features orchestral masterpieces such as Gustav Holst’s cosmic tour de force The Planets, Mussorgsky’s picturesque Pictures at an Exhibition, Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony, Brahms’ A German Requiem, Florence Price’s Dances in the Canebrakes, Dvořák’s New World Symphony, and many other great works. The Rockin’ Orchestra Series features the music of ABBA, Whitney Houston, and Green Day, while The SuperPops Series includes live accompaniment to the full feature film Star Wars: Episode 4, and a concert of film music by the acclaimed John Williams and other composers. Also featured on the opera stage is Stephen Sondheim’s dark and comedic story of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; a tale of political intrigue, passion, and betrayal in Puccini’s Tosca; and an intimate Opera Star Recital with Grammy Award-winning baritone Will Liverman. The Ballet season features Dracula: Bloodlines, just in time for Halloween, and a holiday spirit with the magical, family-friendly tale of The Nutcracker, with Swan Lake set to Tchaikovsky’s romantic score.

DPAA proudly employs 83 per-service musicians, represented by the American Federation of Musicians Local 101-473, along with 20 professional ballet dancers, who contribute their exceptional talent to create captivating musical and dance experiences. DPAA boasts the professional Dayton Opera Chorus that infuses vibrant energy into every Dayton Opera production. Throughout its 40-week season, DPAA presents a diverse repertoire consisting of eight Masterworks, which are later broadcast on Dayton Public Radio, as well as numerous SuperPops and Rockin’ Orchestra shows, and four performances each by Dayton Opera and Dayton Ballet.

DPAA actively engages with the educational needs of the community, which proudly includes the third-oldest youth orchestra (with three graduated ensembles) and the second-oldest ballet school in the USA. DPAA provides numerous educational programs in schools and operates an El Sistema-style after-school program in two Dayton Public Schools. Community engagement and outreach programs have been a central pillar to DPO since its inception. DPAA has established partnerships with the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Wright State University, Central State University, the University of Dayton, the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, and The Puerto Rican Cultural Society, among many others. The DPAA’s learning and community engagement programs, including those provided by the Philharmonic and its members, serve 50,000 children in twelve counties, and in 2022 members of the orchestra and youth orchestras participated in more than 1,200 engagements and partnered with over 250 schools.

While COVID and its aftermath have been difficult for all performing arts organizations, DPAA is fortunate to have a rising profile in the region. Audiences in 2021-22 were about 52% of pre-COVID levels, and in 2022-23 about 73%. The Masterworks audience in 2022-23 were at over 90% of pre-COVID levels. DPAA sells $5 tickets to every performance except the Nutcracker, and a partnership with the Dayton Metro Libraries provides 50 free tickets to every classical performance, except the Nutcracker. 4,000 of these tickets were sold or utilized in both the current and previous season. In 2022-23, approximately a quarter of all households buying tickets had never before bought a ticket to a Dayton Philharmonic, Ballet, or Opera performance. Through all this, along with key programming and guest artist decisions that better reflect the breadth of our community, audiences have become dramatically younger and significantly more diverse. Further, DPAA is coming to the conclusion of a search for an Artistic Director of the Ballet, in which all the finalists are persons of color.

The DPAA has a 31-member board of trustees led by Chair Ed Tomme, and Patrick J. Nugent serves as President and CEO. For the year ending June 30, 2023, DPAA projects total revenues of $8.4 million, with $6.6 million from contributions and grants and $1.7 million from program services, making it the largest performing arts institution in Ohio’s Miami Valley region.

Community

Known as the Gem City and the birthplace of aviation, Dayton is an urban city with a dense suburban feel. Located in Montgomery County, which has a population of 782,200, it is rich in history and innovation as the sixth largest city in Ohio with a population of 137,000. Dayton has been voted the 67th best city in which to live in the US and the 4th most livable city in Ohio. Acclaimed for inventions, academics, and flight, it ranks among the top 20 metropolitan areas for recent college graduates. As an aerospace innovation hub, its proximity to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, and the National Museum of the US Air Force provides grounds for the prominence of technology and aviation. Many military officers who have served at Wright-Patterson return to retire in Dayton because of its affordable cost of living, excellent housing, moderate pace of life, and rich and vibrant arts.

Dayton houses a populace with a diverse and inclusive arts and culture scene. The famed, world-class 388,000-square-foot Benjamin & Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center opened in 2003 and represents the cornerstone of Downtown Dayton’s renaissance and revitalization. The Schuster hosts top musicals throughout the year presented by Dayton Live. The Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, which celebrates dance rooted in the African-American experience, and The Human Race Theatre Company are both led entirely by women. The four seasons in Dayton offer residents and visitors the opportunity to enjoy the 14,000 acres and 25 different facilities of Five Rivers Metro Parks year-round and through educational programming. The region boasts the largest network of paved bicycle trails in the nation, over 300 miles’ worth. Sports enthusiasts can enjoy baseball with the Dayton Dragons, Gem City Roller Derby, University of Dayton (Flyers) and Wright State University (Raiders) basketball, and seven golf courses.

Dayton sits in close proximity to 19 institutions of higher education. Wright State University, the University of Dayton, and Sinclair College are the closest. Central State University and Wilberforce University, both historically black institutions, are nearby and have partnerships with DPAA. Ranking 19th for access to healthcare, Dayton is also home to Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine and three major health systems. Montgomery County encompasses 16 public school districts with 56 private schools and 22 public charter schools in Dayton and 27 public schools in the city serving more than 29,000 students.

Sources: blog.herrealtors.com/post/where-is-dayton-ohio; opendatanetwork.com; bizjournals.com; bizjournals.com/dayton/news/2021/06/12/dayton-a-top-region-for-recent-college-graduates.html; forbes.com/places/oh/dayton/?sh=78bd7a0866dc; livingcost.org/cost/united-states/oh/dayton; usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/health-care

Position Summary

Reporting to the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), the Artistic Director and Conductor is responsible for overseeing all of the DPO’s artistic activities, ensuring that artistic excellence is maintained and developed. Providing a clear artistic vision, this position will program an imaginative and varied repertoire, conduct multidisciplinary performances, engage with musicians, and inspire audiences by making symphonic music, along with opera and ballet repertoire, accessible to all people. The Artistic Director and Conductor will demonstrate a commitment to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access in making all artistic decisions, including the selection of pieces, composers, musicians, and guest artists. They will build and sustain the visibility of DPAA throughout the community of Dayton and beyond, cultivating and deepening local and national relationships to develop audiences and broaden educational programs.

Artistic planning at DPAA is an exciting, creative, collaborative process conducted by the Artistic Leadership Team (ALT) consisting of the three artistic directors plus the CEO, Managing Director, and Vice Presidents of marketing, development, learning & community engagement, and planning & operations, in consultation with a community and board committee. “Listening relentlessly to the customer” is a key priority of DPAA, and the Artistic Director will work with the rest of the ALT to ensure that programming is cognizant of the community in all its depth and richness. A natural collaborator with cross-disciplinary experience across other art forms, the Artistic Director and Conductor will play a leading role in this collective planning process.

Roles and Responsibilities

Artistic Programming and Collaborative Leadership

Conceive and shape an integrated, engaging performance season, developing diverse programming in close collaboration with the Artistic Directors of the Ballet and Opera, as well as the Dayton Philharmonic Chorus Conductor, that includes symphonic repertoire from the classical canon alongside modern and contemporary works.

Take leadership in, and advocate tirelessly for, “Harnessing the Power of One”—being a champion of the single, integrated organization working together toward a shared purpose.

Design concerts, special events, and other programs that ensure a high-quality, challenging, and enjoyable orchestral experience for musicians and audiences.

Creatively make the performance experience more welcoming and inviting to newer audiences.

Prepare for and conduct rehearsals, pre-performance talks, and concerts for the Philharmonic and, where appropriate, for Dayton Ballet and Dayton Opera.

Supervise the Associate Conductor, identify a roster of guest conductors and soloists to be featured, and engage those individuals with the Vice President for Artistic Planning and Operations.

Demonstrate cultural and educational value while being sensitive to the programming and age-appropriate needs of new and existing audiences.

Proactively consider audience participation trends and give new shape and energy to the Philharmonic’s Masterworks, Pops, and Rockin’ Orchestra series—including, possibly, merging and re-imagining the latter two.

Oversee the process of auditioning and selecting musicians, substitute players, and section seating, and subsequently create clear and efficient rehearsal schedules.

Maintain authentic, respectful, and engaging relationships with the musicians.

Collaborate in a close and collegial relationship with the Vice President for Artistic Planning and Operations.

Embrace other artistic programming and collaborative leadership responsibilities as needed.

Community Engagement and External Relations

Serve as a visible external ambassador for DPAA, building and deepening relationships with partners and communities throughout the Dayton region and beyond.

Build rapport with audience members, helping increase their level of comfort, understanding, and enjoyment of the music being performed.

Participate in social, civic, and media activities, helping to develop the overall public brand and image of the DPAA, while involving musicians in community engagement.

Partner with the development department to assist with donor engagement efforts that motivate philanthropic supporters.

Identify and partner with local organizations and other arts groups, in order to grow audiences, develop community outreach initiatives, and collaborate artistically.

Collaborate with the Vice President for Learning and Community Engagement to introduce and expand educational programs, ensuring that students of all ages and abilities gain access to concerts and activities, and attend performances.

Embrace other community engagement and external relations as needed.

Organizational Integration and Resiliency

Engage with the ALT and board to establish visionary artistic plans that include strategies that support DPAA’s mission and goals.

Attend board meetings, provide reports on artistic activities, and inspire participation.

Operate carefully and creatively within the budget parameters agreed by the ALT and in adherence to the collective bargaining agreement.

Collaborate with other ALT members in all equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts to foster a sense of community among all board, staff, musicians, guest artists, and audiences.

Embrace other organizational collaboration responsibilities as needed.

Traits and Characteristics

The Artistic Director and Conductor will be an inspiring, charismatic, and visionary leader with an animated artistic presence who displays an infectious enthusiasm for music and builds deep relationships with musicians and audiences. An original and innovative thinker who can bring new ideas to the DPAA, they will respect the DPO’s history, honor its legacy, and energize a dynamic artistic vision with their colleagues at Dayton Ballet and Dayton Opera. With excellent communication and public speaking skills, and aware of the changing role of orchestras and modes of performances, they will advance the interests of the DPO while inspiring audiences both on and off the stage.

Other key competencies include:

Leadership and Teamwork – The capacity to organize and influence people to believe in and support an artistic vision, create a sense of purpose and direction, and cooperate with others to meet objectives and exceed expectations.

Goal Orientation and Decision Making – The acumen to set realistic yet inspirational goals, consider all aspects of a situation, and make consistently sound and timely decisions that advance the mission, vision, and values of DPAA.

Personal Accountability and Diplomacy – The dexterity to be answerable for personal and professional actions while effectively and tactfully handling difficult or sensitive issues throughout the organization and in the community it serves.

Time and Priority Management – The ability to prioritize and complete multiple tasks in order to deliver desired outcomes within allotted time frames.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will come with a demonstrable track record of symphonic conducting experience. An advanced degree in music (i.e. performance, conducting, musicology, composition, theory, education) is preferred but not required. A mastery of at least one instrument, an ability to coach all musical sections, and experience performing as a member or soloist within a professional orchestra would be appreciated. The ideal candidate will also have collaborative and cross-disciplinary experience in ballet and opera, although orchestral music experience will be weighted more heavily. A deep appreciation for arts education and community engagement is required, and candidates should have a track record of working with youth either at an academic institution or through educational programs. It is critical that the new Artistic Director and Conductor have a significant public and community presence in Dayton, as well as a broad network of guest artist contacts and other relationships throughout the orchestral field.

Compensation and Benefits

DPAA provides a competitive and equitable compensation package with an annual salary range estimated between $170,000 and $200,000. Benefits include paid vacation, sick leave, personal days, and holidays; health, long-term disability, and life insurances; and a voluntary 403(b) retirement plan with an employer match. Outside guest conducting and teaching is an option and done by mutual agreement.

Applications and Inquiries

To submit a cover letter and chronological resume with a summary of demonstrable accomplishments (electronic submissions preferred) with a program-oriented curriculum vitae related to conducting symphonic music, as well as opera and ballet if applicable, please click here or visit artsconsulting.com/employment. For candidate, artist manager, or general inquiries about this job opportunity, please contact:

Dr. Bruce D. Thibodeau, President

292 Newbury Street, Suite 315

Boston, MA 02115-2801

Tel (888) 234.4236 Ext. 201

Email DaytonPhilharmonic@ArtsConsulting.com

For the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, a commitment to diversity represents the active inclusion, within both the organization and our audience, of the broadest possible representation of our Miami Valley community. This includes: race, color, gender identity and expression, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, political affiliation, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

Click here for the downloadable PDF.

artistic director Music Jobs

Artistic Director and Conductor, Dayton Philharmonic