Accompanist

Duties & Responsibilities

• Provides piano accompaniment for ballet classes.
• Provides piano and percussion accompaniment for modern dance classes.
• Working closely with dance faculty/instructors to understand the desired musical energy and interpretive goals.
• Provide musical support and accompaniment during rehearsals, performances, or recordings.
• Accompany special classes, auditions, and master classes outside of the regular work week, on occasion.
• Substitute for classes as needed and attend meetings called by the Music Director for Dance.
• Collaborate effectively with students, staff, and faculty to support the academic and artistic mission of the department.
• Continue to expand their repertoire for dance classes; proactively research, learn, and adapt new musical scores and genres to maintain an engaging, dynamic, and non-repetitive auditory environment for daily dance classes.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities (KSAs)

• Demonstrated ability to sight-read and quickly adapt diverse musical genres.
• Strong ear-training skills with the ability to transpose or rearrange music on the fly.
• Knowledge of, or willingness to learn, how various musical structures align with ballet, modern, and jazz pedagogy.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with a history of successful collaboration alongside faculty instructors, guest artists, and student choreographers.
• Able to match tempo, emotional dynamics, and physical phrasing simply by watching the movement of dancers.

Minimum Qualifications

• A high school diploma or high school diploma equivalency is required.
• A minimum of 3 years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in Collaborative Piano, Piano Performance, Music Theory, Percussion, or an equivalent field.
• Two or more years of experience playing live accompaniment for professional dance companies, elite pre-professional academies, or university-level dance departments.
• Experience accompanying a wide breadth of dance genres, specifically classical ballet, jazz, and contemporary/modern techniques.