Music Director, Organist - St. Peter's Church, Lithgow : Job Details

Who we are

St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Lithgow, New York is a country parish on a dirt road with a long history in the midst of a peaceful and bucolic setting with rolling hills, pastures, farmland and great views of the Catskills. St. Peter's was founded in 1801 as an extension of Christ Episcopal Church, Poughkeepsie, for parishioners living in eastern Dutchess County.

Today, the little white pristine church with its high steeple is small and charming, but its reach into the community is broad, deep and sincere. Its support of community service organizations is notable. Its stability as a center of prayer and regular services (Morning Prayer), and its broad appeal to weekenders and year-round residents make St Peter's a steadfast and important pillar of the community.

Parishioners value excellent sermons and music which play meaningful roles in the regular services as well as during the holy days and festivals. Music is important to our parishioners not only at St. Peter's, but in the wider community as well, with many supporting music programs in Dutchess County as well as in New York City. The beauty of the location, and the sophisticated and supportive nature of the congregation are highly appealing to many visitors.

The Position

The Organist and Director of Music position at St Peter's Church is vital to the musical life and vitality of St. Peter's congregation. The position is viewed as an important liturgical ministry, and parishioners are seeking a committed, enthusiastic and dedicated organist and music director who can serve as a leader in the church and who is willing to build relationships with local musicians and singers.

The Music Director is responsible for the music at weekly 9:30 am Morning Prayer Sunday services (Holy Communion is celebrated the first Sunday of each month at the 9:30 a.m. service), along with the other important services throughout the year, including

· Lessons & Carols which is a music-driven service the week before Christmas.

· Christmas Eve, which includes a 4:00 pm Children's Pageant and a 10:00 pm service with Holy Communion and choir.

· Christmas Day at 9:30 a.m. with Holy Communion but no choir

· Holy Week, including two services on Palm Sunday, and Easter Sunday

· Pentecost

· Memorial Day which entails arranging for a brass quartet during the annual service held at St. Peter's Cemetery.

· All Saint's Day

This position entails taking direction from the Vicar on the hymns and service music, as well as researching, learning, arranging, and presenting other music, including preludes, postludes, choir anthems, instrumental selections, selecting and arranging choral anthems for both children and adults and directing choir rehearsals and performances for Christmas Eve, Palm Sunday, Easter, a special Memorial Day Service, Pentecost, and All Saint's Day.

St. Peter's currently has approximately a six-person amateur choir that sings on the Holy Days during the program year (please see above) with rehearsals currently taking place prior to and after the 9:30 am service on Sunday.

While the primary musical resources should come from within the congregation, the Music Director is encouraged to reach into the community to find section leaders who may perform with the volunteer choir for the various holidays. Applicants are also encouraged to bring their own ideas for enhancing and building the music program at St. Peter's. Parishioners have already established a fund to bring professional vocal and instrumental musicians to St. Peter's.

The Music Director is solely responsible for the employment, at Parish expense, of such other musicians as may be required to meet the musical needs of the Parish, including, but not limited to substitute organist and/or conductors, instrumentalists, assistant Parish musicians or singers.

Funerals, weddings are other special services, such as installation of a Vicar or Ecumenical Lenten Service, are paid at a per service rate. This includes weddings, rehearsals with requested singers/instrumentalists, attendance at liturgical rehearsal and extraordinary practice time, research, and musical arranging necessitated by requests for difficult or unusual music.

The organ is a two-manual Allen digital MDS 26.

Payment and Benefits

The position is part-time (approximately 18 hours per week on average for the year) and the salary ($20,000 to $30,000) is commensurate with education and experience. Benefits include seven weeks for professional development and vacation. The Music Director will secure appropriate substitutes, to be compensated by St. Peter's, for those Sundays she or he is on leave. While our preference is to bring someone on who either has, or is looking to grow, ties to our community, Saturday evening housing in the Millbrook area may be available. The position is under the direct supervision of Rev. Richard McKeon.

Contact

Interested applicants should send a cover letter and resume by Friday, November 15 to the post office or email address: [email protected]. Finalists will be asked to supply three letters of reference. Applicants are welcome to submit links to performances.

Rev. Richard McKeon

St. Peter's Church, Lithgow

PO Box 1502 Millbrook, New York 12545