Executive Director of Youth Chorus - Silicon Valley (Cantabile Youth Singers)

Cantabile Youth Singers of Silicon Valley invites interest from fundraisers, marketers, and non-profit managers passionate about the arts and youth programming to serve as its next Executive Director.

SUMMARY: 

• This is an excellent opportunity for a fundraiser or non-profit manager who wants to step into an Executive Director position for the first time, or for a current ED looking for flexibility.
• We have an open door for candidates from many career backgrounds. Candidates with a love for the arts and a background in fundraising, marketing, or youth programming in non-arts nonprofits are invited! 
• We have worked hard to focus the responsibilities to ensure the ED has the opportunity for a great work/life balance.
• If you are not sure if this is for you, and are interested in learning more first, please email Syrah Gunning at segunning@devosinstitute.net to set up an exploratory conversation.

Download the Full Job Description HERE

WHO ARE WE?

Cantabile Youth Singers provides high caliber vocal music instruction and performance opportunities for youth ages 6 to 18 in a supportive, enriching choral community that fosters the innate beauty, talent, and individual freedom of expression within each singer. Founded in 1994, Cantabile has been led artistically by Russian-American conductor and music educator Elena Sharkova since 2004. Artists. Scholars. Leaders. Friends. These four concepts are at the center of Cantabile’s program. 

Explore Cantabile’s Work

LISTEN: Sound Cloud

WATCH: Get to Know Cantabile Youth Singers What is your favorite thing about Cantabile?

PRESS: “Silicon Valley Youth Chorus Cantabile a Winner at European Choir Games”, San Francisco Classical Voice

SOCIAL: Instagram YouTube Facebook

Cantabile’s distinctiveness in the region is delivered through its challenging, global repertoire; high caliber performance and engagement opportunities; and its unique curriculum. Its holistic approach to choral education forges vocal artistry, music theory and history; movement and mindfulness; and leadership development. Students engage with works across multiple languages and cultures, studying the historical, cultural, and musical significance of every work performed; incorporate movement work that engages the full mind and body in the art of singing and promotes community; engage in weekly high-level music theory classes (age appropriate); and have extensive opportunities for student leadership. (An average Cantabile season includes works in 8-10 different languages; a performing student who participates for four years experiences music from 20-25 distinct cultures and multiple genres.) The result is artistic training among the highest level available in the country, delivered in a supportive community. Read about Cantabile’s programs here. 

Cantabile’s work has been recognized with gold medals at the 5th European Choir Games as well as the Award for Adventurous Programming from ASCAP / Chorus America, given to choirs who show outstanding commitment to commissioning new music. It performs with professional and collegiate partners regularly including Symphony San Jose  & Chorale, Opera San Jose, Stanford Symphony, and Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, among others. Its premier choirs tour nationally and internationally; it is the only youth chorus in the country to have its own student chapter of the American Choral Directors Association; and graduates are known to attend prestigious collegiate programs, many of whom continue to sing at the club or major level. 

Cantabile’s operating budget is approximately $1,000,000, averaging 70-80 percent attributable to earned income and 20-30 percent attributable to contributed income. 

WHO ARE YOU?

Cantabile is looking for the following key things in our Executive Director:

• An entrepreneurial and creative business planner. The ED will thrive on prioritizing efforts on the organization’s long-term advancement while advising and supporting day-to-day operations managed by the Director of Operations. They will bring a personal drive to develop engaging strategies to impact more youth through enrollment, fundraising, and by leveraging its board members to support the organization's growth, cost management, and sustainability.
• A self-starting leader with strong interpersonal skills. The ED will be a grounded, proactive leader who will partner with the AD and the Board to balance artistic ambition, staff capacity, and financial & operational practicality. They will support and mentor Cantabile’s professional staff, and work in close partnership with the Board.
• An outgoing relationship builder who is passionate about youth programming. The ED will be enthusiastic to communicate the value of Cantabile’s program in their own way to parents, students, donors, and partners with a persuasive and accessible approach. They will enjoy building relationships with diverse groups and have a high cultural intelligence that supports this. They will be genuinely interested in seeking out new opportunities to share Cantabile’s program throughout Silicon Valley. If not already based there, the ED will be enthusiastic to relocate and spend time building relationships in the vibrant community. 

WHAT’S NEXT?

Cantabile Youth Singers is at an inflection point in its organizational trajectory. Since 2018, Sharkova has been leading the organization’s artistic and management strategy in the dual role of Artistic and Managing Director. In preparation for a period of organizational growth, Sharkova and the Board came together and decided to invest in a dedicated management leader to ensure the organization continues to thrive artistically and strategically. 

The incoming Executive Director will have the opportunity to focus on strengthening its fundraising program, growing enrollment, and partnering with its growing board, while Sharkova will focus on continuing to advance its excellent artistic program. The Board and Sharkova also recently hired a new Director of Operations to who is leading the organization’s day-to-day operations. This critical support role will allow the incoming ED to spend the majority of their time advancing the organization's long-term, big-picture strategy. At this important juncture, Cantabile invites interest from leaders who are passionate about the arts and youth programming to serve as its next Executive Director!

THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S JOB:

• Serve as a trusted partner and collaborator with the Artistic Director, operationalizing their vision and producing the organizational structures and resources to achieve it. Develop and implement Cantabile’s long-term organizational strategy with its staff and Board which will position it for ongoing success and sustainability.
• Lead Cantabile’s fundraising effort. Structure internal fundraising processes, serve as the relationship manager for donors, and partner with the Board in these efforts. Develop and share a compelling case for support for its long-term impact on students.
• Lead Cantabile’s organizational marketing effort that will increase its visibility and reputation among regional and national youth programs, communicate the uniqueness of its program, and support its fundraising efforts. Represent Cantabile throughout the region’s communities, proactively seeking opportunities to develop relationships with potential families, students, partners, and donors.
• Lead Cantabile’s enrollment marketing effort. Develop diversified strategies to serve more youth, track and report on enrollment, and engage staff and Board members in this effort.
• Support the Board of Directors in their effort to grow opportunities for board member engagement and expand the Board.
• Collaborate with the Director of Operations to develop lean and practical internal operations that deliver high customer service to families and students, leverage technology, and support effective short and long-term planning.
• Provide supportive, collaborative leadership to Cantabile’s staff, ensuring the organization has ample staff capacity to support its growth and deliver an exceptional student experience. Demonstrate empathy, caring leadership ability, and strong listening skills.
• Represent Cantabile within the professional arts & education field and to the press (in coordination with the Artistic Director who also serves as an organizational spokesperson).
• Provide responsible financial leadership—balancing organizational sustainability with artistic risk-taking and ensuring adequate resources for long-term planning.

Qualifications

• Passion for supporting youth-serving programming and the arts. Specific interest in music education and/or choral music is a plus. 
• 5+ years of progressively responsible working experience, with some experience in a nonprofit. Experience in youth-serving programming, education, music education, and/or performing arts is a plus.
• Experience in fundraising, with experience with individual donors and special events a plus
• Grounded demeanor with exceptional interpersonal skills
• Ability to balance long-term organizational strategies with day-to-day operations
• Experience leading marketing and/or enrollment efforts, with experience in a youth-serving context a plus
• Experience working with a Board of Directors is a plus
• Experience directing and mentoring a professional staff or team
• A commitment to becoming and/or remaining an active member of the communities Cantabile serves. (Current resident of the broader Silicon Valley region or willing to relocate.)
• High integrity and ethical standards

• Leaders with some, but not all, of these experiences and bring transferable experience are invited to apply! First-time executive director candidates are welcomed.

Employment and Compensation

• Hiring range is $110,000-$115,000. The Board is committed to developing a meaningful bonus structure that acknowledges individual and organizational performance beginning in year two.
• Start Date: Negotiable, Approximately Late Summer/Fall 2024.
• Cantabile operates in a flexible, hybrid working environment. All administrative work is performed remotely. Full-time employees work 40 hours per week. Staff and Board meetings are conducted virtually. Regular in-person activities encompass weekly attendance at donor & prospective parent meetings, marketing/visibility/relationship building opportunities in Silicon Valley and select rehearsals. Seasonal in-person activities include attendance at Cantabile performances and events (fundraising events, parent sing-a-longs, and similar). These include some weekend and evening hours. The ED will design their schedule to best achieve the organization's strategic goals and support and engage the staff and Board in these efforts.
• Compensation package includes a health insurance stipend, competitive paid time off, and professional development funding.