Position Details
Position Information
Recruitment/Posting Title |
Director of Opera, Assistant Professor of Professional Practice (Non-Tenure Track) |
Department |
MGSA - Music |
Salary Details |
A minimum of $82,110 |
Offer Information |
The final salary offer may be determined by several factors, including, but not limited to, the candidate's qualifications, experience, and expertise, and availability of department or grant funds to support the position. We also take into consideration market benchmarks, if and when appropriate, and internal equity to ensure fair compensation relative to the university's broader compensation structure. We are committed to offering competitive and flexible compensation packages to attract and retain top talent. |
Benefits |
Rutgers provides a comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. The specific benefits vary based on the position and may include:
- Medical, prescription drug, and dental coverage
- Paid vacation, holidays, and various leave programs
- Competitive retirement benefits, including defined contribution plans and voluntary tax-deferred savings options
- Employee and dependent educational benefits (when applicable)
- Life insurance coverage
- Employee discount programs
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Posting Summary |
The Department of Music at the Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University, is seeking a non-tenure track assistant professor Director of Opera, to lead the Rutgers Opera Theater program. This full-time academic year position includes directing opera productions and scenes programs, as well as teaching at least one course each semester. Productions take place in theaters on the New Brunswick campus and in the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. Stage directors with professional opera experience and/ or within a university program are encouraged to apply. The ideal candidate embraces both the traditional stagings of opera and modern approaches to the art form.
The Director of Opera is responsible for directing and producing two fully staged opera productions and one opera scenes program during the academic year, casting student performers, coordinating with coaches and music staff, serving on appropriate audition and recital panels, and managing opera production personnel, including technical staff, designers, and other freelance production positions. In addition, the appointee will teach Acting for Singers, or related courses within the BM, MM, AD, and
DMA vocal and Mastrobuono Opera institute programs, and should be highly involved in the recruitment and mentoring of undergraduate and graduate students. Service within department committees and maintaining an active artistic profile is expected. |
Position Status |
Full Time |
Posting Number |
25FA0997 |
Posting Open Date |
10/15/2025 |
Posting Close Date |
05/31/2026 |
Qualifications
Minimum Education and Experience |
Master's Degree or equivalent professional experience required. Professional experience directing fully staged opera productions and working within an academic setting is preferrable. Candidates must have proof of residency and right to work documentation. |
Certifications/Licenses |
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Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities |
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Preferred Qualifications |
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Equipment Utilized |
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Physical Demands and Work Environment |
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Overview |
Housed in one of the leading public research universities on the East Coast, the Department of Music at Mason Gross School of the Arts includes approximately 450 students and 100 total faculty, offering bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees (
DMA and PhD) as well as an artist diploma across a comprehensive range of areas in performance, composition, conducting, jazz studies, music education, music theory, and musicology. Students perform, teach, refine their skills, and forge new paths in the arts through their scholastic and creative endeavors, engaging with faculty who are among the world's leaders in their respective fields, including several who are drawn from the nearby New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra. Students benefit from proximity to these two cultural hubs, with ensembles regularly performing in such venues as the Blue Note Jazz Club, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall.
Mason Gross School of the Arts, a vibrant community of artists and scholars with academic programs in music, theater, dance, filmmaking, and art & design, is committed to pursuing excellence, innovation, and inclusivity. Its 1,200 students reflect the diversity of New Jersey, one of the most diverse state in the nation. In addition to its professional arts training programs, Mason Gross provides the larger community an opportunity to embrace the creative arts through its divisions of Rutgers Arts Online and Rutgers Community Arts. The school is housed within Rutgers-New Brunswick, a premier Big Ten research university that serves some 44,000 students and is the flagship campus of Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. The nation's eighth-oldest institution of higher learning, Rutgers is less than an hour by train or car to New York City and the beautiful beaches of the Jersey Shore and just over an hour to Philadelphia.
Additional information is available at the school website:
https://www.masongross.rutgers.edu
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Statement |
Mason Gross School of the Arts is deeply committed to the pursuit of equity, diversity, inclusion, and access and especially encourages applications from women, underrepresented minorities, and other individuals who belong to groups that have been historically underrepresented or marginalized within higher education and the arts. Also see the Rutgers Non-Discrimination Statement at the following web address:
http://uhr.rutgers.edu/non-discrimination-statement
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Posting Details
Special Instructions to Applicants |
The committee will begin reviewing applications December 1, 2025, and will continue until the position is filled. Please submit a cover letter, three (3) professional references (names and contact info), statement of teaching philosophy, and CV with links to applicant's work in operatic performance within the last 5 years, not to exceed 30 minutes.
Please direct any questions to Co-Chairs of Search:
Eduardo Chama
echama@mgsa.rutgers.edu
or Kynan Johns at
kdjohns@mgsa.rutgers.edu
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Quick Link to Posting |
https://jobs.rutgers.edu/postings/261638 |
Campus |
Rutgers University-New Brunswick |
Home Location Campus |
Rutgers University - New Brunswick |
City |
New Brunswick |
State |
NJ |
Location Details |
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Pre-employment Screenings
All offers of employment are contingent upon successful completion of all pre-employment screenings.
Immunization Requirements
Under Policy 100.3.1 Immunization Policy for Covered Individuals, if employment will commence during Flu Season, Rutgers University may require certain prospective employees to provide proof that they are vaccinated against Seasonal Influenza for the current Flu Season, unless the University has granted the individual a medical or religious exemption. Additional infection control and safety policies may apply. Prospective employees should speak with their hiring manager to determine which policies apply to the role or position for which they are applying. Failure to provide proof of vaccination for any required vaccines or obtain a medical or religious exemption from the University will result in rescission of a candidate's offer of employment or disciplinary action up to and including termination.
Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
It is university policy to provide equal employment opportunity to all its employees and applicants for employment regardless of their race, creed, color, national origin, age, ancestry, nationality, marital or domestic partnership or civil union status, sex, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, disability status, liability for military service, protected veteran status, affectional or sexual orientation, atypical cellular or blood trait, genetic information (including the refusal to submit to genetic testing), or any other category protected by law. As an institution, we value diversity of background and opinion, and prohibit discrimination or harassment on the basis of any legally protected class in the areas of hiring, recruitment, promotion, transfer, demotion, training, compensation, pay, fringe benefits, layoff, termination or any other terms and conditions of employment. For additional information please see the Non-Discrimination Statement at the following web address: http://uhr.rutgers.edu/non-discrimination-statement
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