Lyric Fest seeks Managing Director

Lyric Fest seeks a Managing Director to work alongside its Co-Artistic Directors and together, the Managing Director and Founding Co-Artistic Directors will collaborate as partners to lead artists, staff, the Board and the community in realizing Lyric Fest’s mission: to bring people together through the shared experience of song by offering to diverse audiences lively, theme-oriented voice recitals designed to edify, educate, stimulate dialogue, and foster community.

In its 17^th season, Lyric Fest has recently begun a multi-year strategic planning process and seeks a creative, motivated partner to help develop strategies and realize goals for long-term sustainability, heightened local and national visibility, and increased audience and donor engagement.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Managing Director implements the creative vision of Lyric Fest’s Co-Artistic Directors at the direction of Lyric Fest’s Board of Directors. She/he/they share co-leadership responsibility of Lyric Fest with the Co-Artistic Directors and together they work to ensure programmatic excellence and operational integrity, and to devise strategy and initiatives for organizational advancement and sustainability. The Managing Director primarily leads, oversees, implements, and ensures the sustainability of Lyric Fest’s operations through marketing, financial management, administration, and fundraising strategy. She/he/they are the chief operating officer and works directly with the Board of Directors. The Managing Director helps to advance the relationship between Lyric Fest and various local, regional and national organizations, including government agencies and advocacy groups, community and local business groups, foundations and arts organizations, including potential collaborating partners. The Managing Director/Artistic Director team presents the public face of Lyric Fest and may be called upon to speak to private and public organizations and to the press. This position—like the Co-Artistic Directors—reports to the Board and is part-time.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong leadership skills, warm demeanor, and keen strategic thinking
• Awareness of current trends in arts marketing and experience with and ability to visualize, communicate and articulate all marketing communications functions including e-marketing, social media, advertising, public relations, and collateral
• Superb and compelling oral and written communication skills
• Goal-oriented approach and expertise in working with Boards and tracking organizational/ operational successes
• Experience working with budgets and databases; excellent reporting skills
• A passion for the arts, and especially vocal music and art song
• Relationships within the Philadelphia arts and culture community
• Highly collaborative and communicative/responsive work style

ABOUT LYRIC FEST

Lyric Fest (LF) was founded in 2003 by three Philadelphia-area musicians: Suzanne DuPlantis, mezzo-soprano, Randi Marrazzo, soprano, and Laura Ward, pianist, with the shared goal of celebrating and revitalizing the song tradition. It has produced and presented over 60 concerts and recitals featuring more than 160 local, regional and national artists. Currently LF is run by Artistic Directors, Suzanne DuPlantis and Laura Ward.

Commissioning and performing new works has become integral to LF’s mission and programming philosophy.  Since its founding, LF has commissioned and premiered over 35 new works of local, regional and nationally recognized composers. LF enjoys working in partnership with composers, providing them with opportunities for creating and mounting performances of their work.

Lyric Fest is one of a very few voice recital series of its kind in the area.  Its reputation for excellence and innovation is growing nationally and LF has begun to receive invitations to tour its programs throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. LF has received critical acclaim locally and has also been noted in a number of national publications, such as Opera News.

Lyric Fest remains committed to access through affordable ticket prices, to broadening its audience, and to expanding the area’s interest in and knowledge of song as an important and relevant art form.

https://lyricfest.org/

INTERESTED APPLICANTS should submit a cover letter and resume to Jane M. Kamp, Board Chair, janemkamp@gmail.com.