Contents

Choir Manager

Frideswide Voices

Application Pack

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www.chch.ox.ac.uk/cathedral

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Contents

page

3 About Christ Church

4 Frideswide Voices of Christ Church, Oxford

5 Job Description

7 Selection Criteria

8 Further Particulars

Salary and Benefits Tenure Pension Scheme

Schedule and Leave of Absence

9 Pre-Employment Screening

10 Equality of Opportunity

11 How to Apply

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About Christ Church Founded by Cardinal Wolsey in 1525 as Cardinal’s College, the institution was re-founded twice by Henry VIII, first in 1532 as King Henry VIII’s College, and again in 1546 as Christ Church, a college of the University of Oxford and the Cathedral Church of the recently created Diocese of Oxford. The Cathedral Choir was founded in 1526 by Wolsey, who appointed John Taverner as the first Organist and Master of the Choristers. Christ Church remains today a unique institution, as one of the largest of the colleges of Oxford University, and at the same time the diocesan Cathedral. The Cathedral’s daily services attract regular congregations on weekdays and Sundays, and Choral Evensong is frequently attended by large numbers of visitors, partly because of the outstanding quality of the music. The Cathedral welcomes many visitors including tourists, choirs, pilgrims and schools; it is also the setting for concerts, lectures, exhibitions, dance and drama. Christ Church is a self-governing community, and the Dean is both head of the college and Dean of the Cathedral. The Dean chairs the Chapter (the Canons of Christ Church) which governs the Cathedral. Further information about Christ Church may be found on the website at www.chch.ox.ac.uk

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Frideswide Voices of Christ Church, Oxford Frideswide Voices is the girls’ choir of Christ Church Cathedral, and sings each week in the Cathedral alongside the Lay and Academical Clerks of the Cathedral Choir. The girls, aged 7 to 14, are drawn from schools across Oxfordshire. Girl choristers come to the Cathedral twice a week to rehearse, study, and sing services; they are provided with a rich, intensive musical education, including generous grants towards the cost of instrumental lessons. They are directed by Helen Smee, who conducts their weekly rehearsals and services and leads a team of outstanding tutors who deliver weekly theory, singing and musicianship training to the choristers. The work of the girl choristers is overseen by the Organist (Director of Music), Professor Steven Grahl, and they are accompanied in services and other engagements by the cathedral organists and their own organ scholar. Established in 2014 under the auspices of The Frideswide Foundation, a charitable trust, the choir was founded to promote opportunities for girls, aged between 7 and 14, to sing within the liturgy in Oxford college chapels. Between 2016 and 2019, Frideswide Voices was in residence at Christ Church Cathedral for Michaelmas Term each year as part of an annual rotation between Christ Church, New College and Magadelen College. It was announced in May 2019 that, from September 2019, the girls' choir would have a permanent home at Christ Church as part of the choral foundation. The choir is now part of the thriving family of choirs and musicians based in the Cathedral, fully integrated with the Cathedral music department.

There are currently 33 girls in the Choir: 19 full choristers (Y5-8), six probationers (Y4) and seven pre-probationers (Y3). New choristers (generally between four and six in any given year) are selected by audition in May/June each year following open days/evening (‘Be a Chorister for a Day’). More information about the choir can be found here: www.chch.ox.ac.uk/frideswidevoices

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Job Description

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, seeks to appoint a Choir Manager for Frideswide Voices with effect from 1st December 2020, or as soon as possible thereafter. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in the management and day-to-day activities of Frideswide Voices. The responsibilities of the post include, but are not limited to: 1. Administrative and operational duties • Organise and oversee efficient running of FV rehearsals, teaching and services in Christ Church and elsewhere, including:

o ensuring availability of sheet music; o arranging rehearsal spaces/teaching rooms; o provision of drinks and snacks; o robes/choir uniform for each occasion.

• Plan, organise and make arrangements for:

o tours, visits to sing in other churches/cathedrals; o recording sessions and concert performances; o visits of choirs from other colleges and cathedrals to Christ Church to sing with FV.

• Plan publicity for the choir’s activities, for outreach and recruitment, and oversee production and distribution of materials and all marketing.

• Oversee annual recruitment efforts, including liaison with local primary schools, the County Music Service, singing/instrumental teacher and other musical organisations.

• Organise 'Be a FV chorister for an evening’ events alongside the Director of Music. • Liaise with those responsible for development and fundraising activity, particularly in discussions with charitable trusts and

contact with donors. • Help to maintain the choir’s pages on the Cathedral website and the choir’s Twitter feed. • Oversee development of appropriate communication tools within the choir community, the Cathedral music department, and for

wider PR purposes.

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• Maintain a central record of staff training and DBS and other compliance matters in liaison with the Cathedral Registrar. • Undertake appropriate continuing professional development and training to ensure the effective fulfilment of the Manager’s

responsibilities in relation to organisational and compliance matters.

2. Communication with chorister families and schools

• Communicate regularly with parents and be available to answer email queries and offer information and reassurance. Support inter-parental communication to enhance choir cohesion.

• Maintain a database of essential personal information for each chorister and an alumnae database, in line with GDPR requirements.

• Liaise and communicate with different schools from which girls come (especially if any events involve missing part of a school day).

• Organise social events and extra-curricular activities for girls or support parent-led initiatives.

3. Pastoral responsibilities

• Oversee arrangements for chaperoning including: o Supervision of girls’ arrival (from c. 20 different schools) at Christ Church; o Ensure girls’ safety and take lead on safeguarding during rehearsals, theory or music lessons, in breaks and during the

service; o Manage safe handover to parents at end of each session.

• Act as main point of contact for chorister families. • Take a lead with pastoral care of the choristers when at Christ Church.

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Selection Criteria

Your application will be judged only against the criteria which are set out below, and you should ensure that you show clearly how your skills and experience meet these criteria. The successful candidate will be:

a) a highly adept and efficient administrator, with a clear understanding of how to manage a musical organisation with a busy

timetable; b) able to form and sustain good working relationships with a variety of staff colleagues, choristers and their families, and local

schools; c) passionate about working with young people with excellent pastoral skills; d) enthusiastic about the place of women and girls in sacred music; e) an adept manager of people, able to oversee and support the work of a team of tutors and chaperones; f) able to be flexible with working hours to fulfil the needs of the post; g) an effective communicator in person and in writing; h) collegial and capable of working alongside others, but also able to judge when to take initiative; i) capable of accurate and detailed work, but also able to take an overview of priorities; j) empathetic towards the aims and objectives of Christ Church.

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Further Particulars

a. Salary and Benefits The Choir Manager will be offered a salary of £10,376 (0.4 FTE). The salary is subject to annual review.

b. Tenure This post is permanent, subject to a two-term probationary period. Thereafter, Chapter will give not less than a term’s written notice if the appointment is to be terminated and, if the Choir Manager wishes to vacate their post, not less than a term’s notice in writing is required.

c. Pension Scheme The Choir Manager may join the Oxford University Staff Pension Scheme, which is a contributory scheme. You will be contractually auto-enrolled if you meet the criteria. Full details will be supplied on request.

d. Schedule and Leave of Absence The Choir Manager’s schedule includes weekly choir rehearsals and services throughout school terms (usually around 35 weeks a year) plus the possibility of additional work on feast days, during Holy Week, Advent and Christmas, and other special Cathedral occasions. The Choir Manager is expected to be in attendance at the majority of these practices and services, and is also expected to be on duty when the choir makes recordings or undertakes tours. The choir’s typical weekly schedule is currently: 16.30-18.45 Monday Rehearsal and/or Evensong (upper voices) Years 3-8 16.30-18.45 Wednesday Evensong (with Lay and Academical Clerks) Years 4-8 Theory lessons for all girls take place during Monday rehearsals or online over Zoom. Singing lessons take place during Monday rehearsals. In addition, the girls sing a full weekend of services (Saturday Evensong, Sunday Eucharist and Evensong) once a term, and there are typically 4-5 extra services (generally Tuesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays) each term. When the choir is in vacation, the Choir Manager may be on leave, providing that proper attention is paid to planning, preparation, and administrative functions.

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Pre-Employment Screening

Please note that the appointment of the successful candidate will be subject to standard pre-employment screening, as applicable to the post. This appointment at Christ Church Cathedral is subject to a Disclosure and Barring Service check at enhanced level. Where applicable screening will include:

- eligibility to work in the UK - identity - qualifications - professional registration - medical clearance - references - criminal record checks via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) - a prohibition from teaching check - security screening.

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Equality of Opportunity Entry into employment with the College and progression within employment will be determined only by personal merit and the application of criteria which are related to the duties of each particular post and the relevant salary structure. In all cases, ability to perform the job will be the primary consideration. No applicant or member of staff shall be discriminated against because of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, race, religion or belief or sexual orientation.

Candidates are requested to complete an Equal Opportunities form. This can be downloaded from the Christ Church vacancies page: www.chch.ox.ac.uk/vacancies The contents of this form will not be disclosed to the selection panel. Mrs Bridget Guiste The Steward’s Clerical Assistant Christ Church Oxford OX1 1DP bridget.guiste@chch.ox.ac.uk

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How to Apply

There is no application form for this post. Applications should include:

1. Full contact details including email address, full postal address, and at least one telephone number; 2. A covering letter or statement explaining how you meet the selection criteria set out above 3. A full CV 4. Contact details of three referees (see below)

Applications should be sent by email to: cathedralregistrar@chch.ox.ac.uk

The deadline for receipt of applications is 12 noon GMT on Friday 13th November 2020. Interviews will take place on Monday 23rd November 2020.

Referees

You should contact your referees before applying, to ensure they are aware of your application and the requirements for the post, and that they would be content to write a reference for you for this post if asked to do so. In your application, please include for each referee their name, position, relationship to you, postal address, email address and contact telephone number, and whether you give permission for us to contact them. The Cathedral will assume that they may approach your referees at any stage unless your application specifies otherwise.

Further information

Individuals who wish to have an informal discussion about the post are invited to contact the Director of Frideswide Voices, Ms Helen Smee: helen.smee@chch.ox.ac.uk