About Nijmeegs Studentenkoor Alphons Diepenbrock (NSKAD)
Musical aspects:
NSKAD is a student choir of about 60 members who enjoy singing classical music. Members consist of students and recent graduates from and around Nijmegen. We organise two main concerts a year where we sing either acapella or with piano accompaniment, and we occasionally perform at smaller events.
We are ambitious, young, energetic and we strive for high-quality performances. We are eager to improve and learn more, especially about vocal technique. We have members with varied musical backgrounds from being completely new to choral singing to many years of experience. This diversity, in combination with the fact that students have irregular lives and can be very busy during exam periods, means that not everyone can always study music independently. As a result, rehearsals are often a combination of studying some notes and refining the musical aspects of the pieces. Although we have an attendance policy, people are busy and the group is a bit different every week. This of course impacts the rehearsal process as well.
Our repertoire is diverse; we sing classical music from all periods including Byrd, Mozart, Rachmaninov, Mendelssohn, Holst or from more contemporary composers like Ešenvalds and Gjeilo.
Organisational aspects:
NSKAD is a student association where members take an active role in the everyday functioning of the choir. The association is led by a board with the help of several committees, all of which have a dedicated role within the association ranging from establishing the choral repertoire to organising the concerts.
The artistic team, consisting of the conductor and the accompanist, make artistic decisions in collaboration with the board and the committees.
Social aspects:
Due to the student nature of the choir, the members of the board change yearly and singers also have a high turnover. As a result, the choir’s needs shift from year to year. NSKAD has several international members, therefore our rehearsals run in English. We are a diverse group of people. Inclusivity, respect and a positive attitude towards this diversity is one of our core values. We use inclusive language during our rehearsals; for example, we refer to groups of singers by the name of their voice groups rather than ‘men’ or ‘women’.
Profile
We are looking for a conductor who recognises themselves in the following profile:
- Is available for our weekly rehearsals on Tuesdays from 19:45-22:15 in Nijmegen.
Experience
- Has a finished bachelor’s degree from a conservatory programme (PM), preferably in choir directing.
- Has experience with conducting choirs, experience with student choirs specifically is a plus.
- Has good knowledge of vocal technique and the ability to convey this knowledge to singers with different levels of experience.
- Ability to lead soloists and accompaniment is a plus.
Competencies
- Has affinity to work with students and has the flexibility to adapt to annually changing boards and needs of the choir.
- Is active and constructive in working together with our repertoire committee to set the repertoire for the concerts.
- Can give constructive, direct and friendly feedback for improvement, as well as highlight musical aspects that are already on a good level.
- Is willing to use inclusive language.
- Is comfortable leading rehearsals in English. Knowledge of Dutch is not strictly necessary but is a plus.
- Can lead our rehearsals with enthusiasm, while maintaining realistic expectations.
Responsibilities:
- Leading weekly rehearsals, including preparation and providing rehearsal plans
- Conducting main concerts and smaller performances
- Auditioning incoming members
- Assisting the board with assessing preparation of members who miss too many rehearsals
- Regular communication with the board of the association about artistic vision and planning
- Collaboration with repertoire committee
- Collaboration with concert committee
- Collaboration with accompanist
Procedure
Are you interested? Please apply by sending an email to sollicitaties@nskad.nl before the 15th of August 2026 with the followings:
- CV (in Dutch or in English)
- motivation letter (in English)
- hourly salary expectation
- references (if applicable)
Based on the received applications we will invite a number of applicants for an interview with our selection committee. The interviews will take place after working hours, between the 24th and 28th of August 2026. After the interviews, a certain number of candidates will be invited to lead a test rehearsal. These test rehearsals will take place on the 22nd of September, 29th of September and 6th of October 2026. Your employment will start on the 1st of January 2027.