Church of the Holy Spirit
Director of Sacred Music
Church of the Holy Spirit, Verona, New Jersey, us, 07044
Our Lady of the Lake Church is a large, vibrant parish in Verona, NJ, part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark. Our church is situated next to iconic Verona Park in the heart of northern New Jersey. Just 20 minutes from Newark and less than a 40-minute drive from New York City, a densely populated and diverse part of the state. Our robust faith community has 2900 families as well as a parochial school with approximately 200 students.
At OLL, our mission is “We are called by Christ to invite everyone to live the gospel as we journey together in faith towards God.” Over the past several years, our parish has become a center for excellence in sacred music, delivering high quality choral and organ music in the church’s resplendent acoustic. Our concert series has featured collaborations with Montclair State University, the New Jersey Youth Chorus, VOCES8, Lyyra, the KODAK Quartet and many more. We are now seeking our next Director of Sacred Music to bolster our wonderful tradition as well as bring their own gifts to our warm and welcoming parish.
JOB DESCRIPTION
The Director of Sacred Music is responsible for the entirety of the music ministry at the parish and serves as organist and choirmaster for the church. More specifically:
Provides musical leadership for the four weekend Masses (Saturday 5:30pm; Sunday 9am, 10:30am and 12noon).
Conducts both the Parish Choir, which rehearses weekly (Thursday evenings) and sings for the 10:30am Sunday liturgy, and the Children’s choir, which also rehearses weekly (pending school schedule) and sings for monthly school masses as well as the 12noon Sunday liturgy once per month.
Provides supervision and instruction for the professional cantor program, which currently involves four singers (SATB), who also serve as staff singers for the Parish Choir.
Provides supervision and instruction for the Choral Scholar program, which currently involves four singers (SATB), who are also staff singers for the Parish Choir.
Manages the entire choral library and the record keeping for the music ministry.
Preserves and maintains the church’s musical instruments, including: a beautiful Kawai concert grand piano, a Kawai digital piano, and a Diane Bish signature series Allen organ (3 manuals, 56 ranks). The Allen organ is being rented as a temporary replacement for the pipe organ that has been significantly damaged in a recent fire. There is exciting potential for a new pipe organ project spearheaded by the new Director of Sacred Music.
Oversees the entire music budget and makes recommendations and provisions as the needs of the parish evolve over time.
Provides musical and liturgical leadership for the monthly school masses during the academic year. These masses take place at 8:30am, normally on feast days.
Provides musical leadership for all Holy Days of Obligation as well as the extra seasonal and sacramental liturgies (i.e., Holy Week, Confirmation, etc.).
Provides musical supervision and arrangements for any concerts/special liturgies that take place in the church, including the annual Night at the Opera as well as our annual Faure Requiem with orchestra.
Serves as the primary organist for all weddings and funerals, depending on availability (first right of refusal).
The Director is expected to keep a 5-day per week on-site/in-person working schedule.
OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE
Our ideal Director of Sacred Music is a high-caliber liturgical musician with significant experience and very strong skills in organ performance, improvisation, piano accompaniment, choral rehearsal technique and direction. The Director should be highly dependable and organized. A warm, pastoral and affable demeanor is expected, particularly when interfacing with parishioners. Ability to work well as part of a team in a fun, low stress but highly focused workplace environment. A strong degree of initiative and agency is desired from this individual, who particularly works well on their own. Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
COMPENSATION
Starting salary of $65,000 per year. Archdiocesan benefits such as health insurance, dental, vision, pension, life insurance, 20 days of personal time off (PTO) and 10 days of continuing education as well as other benefits. Funerals and weddings provide additional income above and beyond the salary. Funerals pay $250 per occurrence and Weddings $350 per occurrence. The annual average number of funerals and weddings over the last three years has been 49 funerals and 9 weddings. The Director has an annual continuing education budget of $2500 to foster their education and growth in the field of sacred music.
APPLICATION
All interested applicants are asked to apply by email to the search committee at
rectory@ollverona.org . Please put “Director of Sacred Music” in the subject line and include a cover letter, resume and contact information for three (3) references. Applications will be accepted through August 9, 2024 and will be evaluated on a rolling basis. We would like the new Director of Sacred Music to be in place as soon as possible, ideally by October 1, 2024.
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At OLL, our mission is “We are called by Christ to invite everyone to live the gospel as we journey together in faith towards God.” Over the past several years, our parish has become a center for excellence in sacred music, delivering high quality choral and organ music in the church’s resplendent acoustic. Our concert series has featured collaborations with Montclair State University, the New Jersey Youth Chorus, VOCES8, Lyyra, the KODAK Quartet and many more. We are now seeking our next Director of Sacred Music to bolster our wonderful tradition as well as bring their own gifts to our warm and welcoming parish.
JOB DESCRIPTION
The Director of Sacred Music is responsible for the entirety of the music ministry at the parish and serves as organist and choirmaster for the church. More specifically:
Provides musical leadership for the four weekend Masses (Saturday 5:30pm; Sunday 9am, 10:30am and 12noon).
Conducts both the Parish Choir, which rehearses weekly (Thursday evenings) and sings for the 10:30am Sunday liturgy, and the Children’s choir, which also rehearses weekly (pending school schedule) and sings for monthly school masses as well as the 12noon Sunday liturgy once per month.
Provides supervision and instruction for the professional cantor program, which currently involves four singers (SATB), who also serve as staff singers for the Parish Choir.
Provides supervision and instruction for the Choral Scholar program, which currently involves four singers (SATB), who are also staff singers for the Parish Choir.
Manages the entire choral library and the record keeping for the music ministry.
Preserves and maintains the church’s musical instruments, including: a beautiful Kawai concert grand piano, a Kawai digital piano, and a Diane Bish signature series Allen organ (3 manuals, 56 ranks). The Allen organ is being rented as a temporary replacement for the pipe organ that has been significantly damaged in a recent fire. There is exciting potential for a new pipe organ project spearheaded by the new Director of Sacred Music.
Oversees the entire music budget and makes recommendations and provisions as the needs of the parish evolve over time.
Provides musical and liturgical leadership for the monthly school masses during the academic year. These masses take place at 8:30am, normally on feast days.
Provides musical leadership for all Holy Days of Obligation as well as the extra seasonal and sacramental liturgies (i.e., Holy Week, Confirmation, etc.).
Provides musical supervision and arrangements for any concerts/special liturgies that take place in the church, including the annual Night at the Opera as well as our annual Faure Requiem with orchestra.
Serves as the primary organist for all weddings and funerals, depending on availability (first right of refusal).
The Director is expected to keep a 5-day per week on-site/in-person working schedule.
OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE
Our ideal Director of Sacred Music is a high-caliber liturgical musician with significant experience and very strong skills in organ performance, improvisation, piano accompaniment, choral rehearsal technique and direction. The Director should be highly dependable and organized. A warm, pastoral and affable demeanor is expected, particularly when interfacing with parishioners. Ability to work well as part of a team in a fun, low stress but highly focused workplace environment. A strong degree of initiative and agency is desired from this individual, who particularly works well on their own. Bachelor’s degree required; Master’s degree preferred.
COMPENSATION
Starting salary of $65,000 per year. Archdiocesan benefits such as health insurance, dental, vision, pension, life insurance, 20 days of personal time off (PTO) and 10 days of continuing education as well as other benefits. Funerals and weddings provide additional income above and beyond the salary. Funerals pay $250 per occurrence and Weddings $350 per occurrence. The annual average number of funerals and weddings over the last three years has been 49 funerals and 9 weddings. The Director has an annual continuing education budget of $2500 to foster their education and growth in the field of sacred music.
APPLICATION
All interested applicants are asked to apply by email to the search committee at
rectory@ollverona.org . Please put “Director of Sacred Music” in the subject line and include a cover letter, resume and contact information for three (3) references. Applications will be accepted through August 9, 2024 and will be evaluated on a rolling basis. We would like the new Director of Sacred Music to be in place as soon as possible, ideally by October 1, 2024.
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