Assistant Principal Percussion
Application information
Thank you for your interest in the Assistant Principal Percussion position with The Phoenix Symphony, a tenure track position.
The audition will be held
November 11 & 12, 2024
at
Symphony Hall
75 N. 2nd Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Application deadline is September 30, 2024.
Anticipated start date for the winning candidate is October 2025.
Email [email protected] with any questions. Only applications submitted via the form below will be accepted. Please do not email your application.
The repertoire list is available for download below. Non-Public Domain excerpts will be available after August 26th. Please send questions to the email address listed above.
Assistant Principal Percussion
Thank you for your interest in the Phoenix Symphony's Assistant Principal Percussion position. Resumes and CVs must be in PDF format. Applications and inquiries will be received by TPS Orchestra Personnel Manager, Lawson Malnory.
Winning candidates are required to show proof of US citizenship or eligibility to work.
The Phoenix Symphony currently holds a 35-week season with a base weekly salary of $1,308.79. Benefits include heath, dental, life, and instrument insurance. TPS is an equal opportunity employer.
About Auditions at the Phoenix Symphony:
Your audition will be heard by a committee of seven tenured orchestra members, including (whenever possible) the Principal player of your instrument and (whenever possible) three other members of that section.
By our policy, any candidate who insists on an audition must be allowed to participate. After reviewing your application materials, the committee may recommend that you do not take the audition. If that occurs and you still desire to audition, you will be included.
Audition times are decided in advance by random draw. Once the application deadline passes, you will be notified of your approximate start-time for your individual preliminary round audition. This audition time is subject to change. If it changes, it will almost certainly be moved earlier in the day due to a cancellation or withdrawal by another candidate. We will do everything in our power to notify you of a final audition time at least a week in advance of the audition.
Preliminary rounds of TPS auditions are always held behind a screen for anonymity. Upon entering the audition space, you will be allowed to play a few notes to get a feel for the acoustics. Once you are ready to begin, the proctor will announce your candidate number or letter to the committee before you start playing. Once you are announced, the committee is required to give you at least five minutes before they can ask you to conclude your audition.
The committee is not required to provide comments, but many are often willing to do so. Reach out to the Personnel Manager after the audition if you would like to request comments.
TPS auditions take place in three rounds: Preliminaries, Semi-Finals, and Finals. Typically, you will be notified within an hour of your performance in any of these rounds whether or not the committee has determined to advance you to the next stage.
About the Phoenix Symphony:
The Phoenix Symphony (TPS) is Arizona’s only full-time, professional symphony orchestra and the state’s largest performing arts group. Founded in 1947 as a part-time orchestra in a city of fewer than 100,000 people, the Phoenix Symphony performed at Phoenix Union High School for the first 25 years of its existence. The Symphony came of age in 1972 when it moved into the newly built Symphony Hall and hired Mexico City native Eduardo Mata as conductor. In 1983, the orchestra achieved full-time status. Throughout the years, there have been many celebratory milestones. In 1989 when TPS named James Sedares as director, he became the youngest music director in any major symphony in America. In 1992, TPS, under his leadership recorded an album of the music of Aaron Copland and earned many accolades from the music industry, including an ECHO Award, continental Europe’s equivalent of the Grammy award.
In February 2014, the Symphony hired Tito Muñoz as its 11th music director and the orchestra continues to receive praise and opportunities through his leadership and vision. The Phoenix Symphony’s programs feature world-renowned conductors and guest artists performing classical, chamber and pops concerts, as well as performances for families and children. The national and international recognition the orchestra has achieved in recent years has helped attract many of the world’s top musicians to the Valley. Guest artists over the years have included Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, Evelyn Glennie, Isaac Stern, Placido Domingo, Itzhak Perlman, and Anne-Sophie Mutter. Pop artists have included Marvin Hamlisch, Sandy Duncan, Bobby McFerrin, Andrea Marcovicci, Flash Cadillac, and Mark O’Connor.
The Symphony aspires to perform live symphonic music of excellence, beauty, and vitality at a consistently high level and to address the needs of communities throughout the Valley, meeting their needs through music-based programs. Concerts follow a selection of seasonal programs – Classics, Pops, and special presentations; designed to attract a diverse audience.
Building Community through Music
In addition to our mainstage concerts, The Phoenix Symphony education and Community Engagement department operate a varied group of programs that reach over 125,000 students, adults, and families every year. Programs cover many other activities, including school-based concerts, brown bag series at local college campuses, a cross-cultural music residency and a professional development model to train teachers and Symphony musicians to collaborate on STEM lessons that leverage music concepts. Our B-Sharp Health and Wellness Initiative provides live, interactive performances presented by Symphony musicians in healthcare settings, shelters, hospice and palliative care.
The orchestra participates in collaborative efforts with organizations such as Ballet Arizona, AZ Science Center, Arizona Theatre Company, Heard Museum, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix Bach Choir and Boys Choir, and Arizona State University.
Working at The Phoenix Symphony
The Phoenix Symphony currently holds a 35-week season with a base weekly salary of $1,308.79. The full salary is paid over the course of the season, and TPS musicians are able to perform at a variety of festivals during the summer. Benefits, which include heath, dental, life, and instrument insurance, remain active during the off-season.
Musicians also receive a discount on all ticket purchases as well as a limited number of vouchers that can be redeemed with the Box Office for complimentary tickets over the course of the season.
Living in the Valley of the Sun
Phoenix, the capital city of Arizona, is known for its beautiful desert sunsets and for being a top destination to experience hiking, golfing, horseback riding, and all sorts of outdoor activities. Neighboring cities, including Tempe (home of Arizona State University’s Main Campus), Glendale (home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals), Mesa (the first-ever Autism Certified City in the US), and Scottsdale (location of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West) are collectively referred to as the Valley of the Sun. The Valley as a whole is based around the Rio Salado (Salt River) and a series of canals first developed by indigenous peoples living in the area beginning two thousand years ago, with many ancient canals having been expanded and new waterways dug in the 20th Century. With an emphasis on local traditions of Indigenous peoples and Latin Americans, Phoenix today is a multi-cultural metropolis where one can enjoy music, food, and other art from all around the world.
