Temporary Mannes Sounds Festival Assistant

The College of Performing Arts at The New School seeks a Temporary Mannes Sounds Festival Assistant to support the administration, operations, and production coordination for the Mannes Sounds Festival, reporting to the Artistic Director.

About the role

Founded in 1999 by Pavlina Dokovska, the Mannes Sounds Festival presents hundreds of Mannes students each year in over 20 concerts at iconic New York City venues and on campus. The festival fosters collaborations among the Mannes School of Music, The School of Drama, The School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, and Parsons School of Design, while also featuring master classes and lectures by distinguished faculty and guest artists. This role provides unparalleled opportunities for students and serves as a key fundraising vehicle for the Mannes School of Music.

Responsibilities

• Support festival season programming and logistics, communicating with internal teams and off-site venue contacts to address production needs.
• Coordinate artistic planning with the Director, event curators, student performers, guest artists, and others.
• Advance all Mannes Sounds productions, including creating show documentation, contact sheets, rehearsal schedules, runs of show, cast and crew calls, rehearsal reports, and stage plots.
• Serve as on-site producer for festival events and attend production planning meetings as needed.
• Support pre-event season planning and post-event season closeout.
• Generate festival programs, including creating and reviewing program copy, and overseeing printing and distribution.
• Assist the event promotions team in promoting the festival through social media, Mailchimp, flyers, and posters.
• Collate mailing lists to prepare targeted communications and personalized invitations to donors.
• Track and secure donor RSVPs for all scheduled events on a semesterly basis.
• Provide administrative support to the Artistic Director and assist with additional festival-related projects.

Requirements

• Prior experience in arts administration or event production.
• Ability to use University platforms including Splash, 25Live, Tableau, Google Suite, and MyDay.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity, inclusion, social justice, and the transformative power of the arts and education.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; ability to present complex information to diverse audiences.
• Capability to manage competing priorities, navigate sensitive situations, and communicate with professionalism and tact.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience supporting student-facing initiatives that foster artistic and creative growth in a higher education environment.

Schedule

This is an FLSA nonexempt hourly position averaging up to 19 hours per week, with a desired start date of August 10, 2026, and end date of June 30, 2027. Working hours vary based on the festival’s season calendar and departmental needs. Frequent nights and weekends are required for planning and event management. The position primarily operates during the academic year (August through May), with potential summer work opportunities determined in advance.

Pay

$25.00–$28.00 per hour.

Work Mode

This position is primarily in-person, based on campus to support collaboration and engagement. Hybrid work arrangements may be considered on a case-by-case basis, subject to approval.