Job Description / Duties

Position:
The College of Fine Arts and Communication invites applications for a tenure-track, 9-month full-time Assistant Professor (mezzo-soprano preferred, sopranos considered) in the Department of Music beginning August 2025.

Responsibilities:
Teach applied voice lessons at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Teach weekly voice masterclass with colleagues in the Voice Division . The successful candidate will augment their teaching load through other areas of their expertise from among the following: Music for the Stage (opera workshop) - an ensemble for development of stage skills for singers through workshop programs, fully staged operas/musicals with orchestra, chamber orchestra or piano, and children’s opera outreach, a two-semester lyric diction sequence (Italian, English, French, German) for undergraduates, a vocal pedagogy seminar for upper-level students, a vocal techniques and pedagogy course for music educators. Adjudicate recitals, end-of-semester juries, incoming student auditions, and other auditions. Actively engage in recruitment activities and build relationships with area teachers. Serve as an academic advisor as assigned. Advise graduate research papers and recitals, as needed. Maintain a sustained and focused scholarship/creative activity agenda commensurate with the expectations of a tenure-track appointment. Fully participate with activities and operations of the Voice Division of the Department of Music, which may eventually include serving as Division Leader. Maintain a high level of collegiality and willingness to work in a team-oriented environment. Serve as a performing member of the voice faculty ensemble for outreach and recruitment purposes. Serve on Departmental, College, and University committees as appointed or elected.

Qualifications / Required Skills

Qualifications:
DMA (or equivalent degree) in voice performance required; mezzo-soprano preferred, sopranos considered. ABD candidates considered but degree must be fully conferred before August 1, 2025. At least two years of teaching experience required at the college/university level or within a qualified teaching fellowship position. Sustained and currently active solo and collaborative performances as a singer, including in staged opera, with a clearly defined scholarship/creative activity agenda commensurate with a tenure-track faculty position. Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of the position, including teaching, scholarship, and service, in addition to displaying a high level of collegiality in working with diverse faculty, staff, and student constituents. Excellent musicianship and artistry as a teacher and performer with a commitment and desire to teach at a university with a strong liberal arts foundation. Evidence of excellent teaching skills in applied voice for all lower and upper voice types. Evidence of strong teaching skills in at least two of the following areas; opera/lyric theatre stage direction/production and theatrical skills development, lyric diction, vocal literature, vocal pedagogy and vocal techniques and pedagogy for music educators. Ability to teach music majors and non-majors, undergraduates and graduate students, and students across multiple degree programs. Evidence of successful recruitment and retention practices and a commitment to active participation in recruitment efforts. Piano skills sufficient for applied studio use desired

Additional Information

Application Process:
Deadline to submit application is October 7, 2024. Applications received by the deadline are reviewed immediately and the position remains open until filled. Only digital applications will be accepted. A complete digital application includes: letter of application that addresses the applicant’s qualifications and ability to fulfill the responsibilities of the position as articulated in the job notice, the candidate’s current curriculum vitae, including names and contact information for at least three references, a separate teaching philosophy, which must include how the candidate addresses diverse and inclusive pedagogy within their studio and classroom; unofficial transcripts from all institutions of higher education attended; sample video and/or audio performances of no more than 20 minutes: either high-quality video, preferred, or audio, demonstrating a variety of songs and arias in several languages including English; all video/audio submissions must be via streamable and functioning web links that do not require an account/login/password to access and a link to a video of the candidate’s teaching of an applied voice student, of no more than 15 minutes, produced within the last two years.

Additional material(s) may be requested later.

A Criminal Background Investigation is required for the hired candidate and the results may impact employment.

The safety of our students, faculty, staff, and neighbors has been our top priority and the focus of every one of our decisions since the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the University System of Maryland (USM) has strongly encouraged full COVID vaccination and up-to-date booster shots (when eligible) for all faculty, staff, and students at all schools in the USM as both a reasonable and necessary means of protecting our health and safety.

Please be sure to visit the Applicant Data Form to complete a voluntary on-line form. All data collected are for internal, state, and/or federal reporting and will not be used for other purposes.

Towson University is an equal opportunity employer and has a strong institutional commitment to diversity, as detailed in “A More Inclusive TU: Advancing Equity and Diversity (2020 – 25).” TU is a national leader in inclusive excellence, the only institution in Maryland with zero achievement gap, and 68% growth in minority enrollment over the past 5 years. We encourage applications from a variety of (dis)abilities, cultural, ethnic, race, sex, gender identity/expressions, national origins, ages, veteran status, color, religious, socio-economic, sexual orientations and belief background.

Contact Information

Address questions to:
Dr. Aaron Ziegel, Voice Search Chair
Department of Music
Towson University
8000 York Road
Towson, MD 21252
Phone: 410-704-2679
Email: musicvoicesearch@towson.edu

Visit https://towson.taleo.net/careersection/fac_ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=240000K0 to apply. Please note that the search number for which you have applied is COFAC-3808.

Employer Profile

Department of Music & Voice Division: www.towson.edu/music
The Voice Division consists of approximately 70 students and is one of seven academic divisions within the Department of Music. The Department offers the Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science in Music Education, Bachelor of Science in Music, and several minors in Music at the undergraduate level; graduate degrees include Master in Music, Music Pedagogy, and Music Education and a Graduate Certificate in Applied Music. Applied lessons are supported by a weekly performance masterclass and required or elective recitals at the junior, senior, and graduate levels, depending on degree plan. Additional performance opportunities exist through the TU Choirs (TU Chorale, Treble Voices, Men’s Chorus, Vocal Jazz Choir, and University Choral Society); the Music for the Stage and Children’s Opera Outreach ensembles, which produce scenes programs and full productions of operas, operettas and musicals; capstone internships; and special projects sponsored or supported by the Department. The Voice Division regularly hosts guest artists for public masterclasses and private coaching with qualified students. The Department and Voice Division has a long history of philanthropic support to sponsor the educational needs of its students. Our alumni are opera and musical theatre performers at the national and international levels, respected educators in K-12 schools and university settings, commercial musicians and jazz artists, entrepreneurs, and arts administrators.

Towson University:
Towson University (www.towson.edu) was founded in 1866, is recognized by U. S. News and World Reports as one of the top public universities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, is Baltimore's largest university, and is the largest public, comprehensive institution in the University of Maryland System. TU enrolls almost 19,000 undergraduates and over 3,000 graduate students across six academic colleges (business, education, fine arts, health professions, liberal arts, science & mathematics), has over 865 full-time faculty, and offers more than 65 bachelor's, 45 master's, and 5 doctoral programs. Our centrally located campus sits on 330 rolling green acres and is 10 miles north of Baltimore, 45 miles north of Washington D.C., and 95 miles south of Philadelphia.