The Cathedral Choirs: Section Lead Positions 2025/26
Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver invites applications for Section Lead positions for the 2025/26 season. Appointments are made annually for one season (September to June) in an open application and audition process. Previous position holders may reapply in subsequent years.
The duty schedule is divided into streams. Applicants may apply to any one, or any combination of the following:
A: Sunday 10.30am Sung Eucharist and monthly Choral Evensong
Schedule: Thursday evenings weekly from 7.30-9.30pm (rehearsal); Sundays weekly at 9.30am (rehearsal) for 10.30am (ending c. 11.50am); monthly on Sundays at 2.45pm (rehearsal) for 4pm Choral Evensong.
B: Sundays@4 - Cantors for Sung Evening Prayer in weeks when there is no Choral Evensong
Music is presented in various styles, including Holden Evening Prayer, Taizé, and Broadway Vespers.
Schedule: Sundays, two or three times a month at 2.45pm for 4pm (ending by 5pm).
C: Sunday 8pm Compline
The full SATB ensemble sings once or twice a month; on other weeks the upper- or lower-voice groups perform. Each voice type is scheduled for two or three services per month.
Schedule: 7pm (rehearsal) for 8pm Compline (ending by 8.30pm).
Additional rehearsals and services may be scheduled according to the Church calendar - including for Advent and Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, and Easter. A full projected schedule for the season from September 2025 to June 2026 will be provided in letters of appointment.
Skills and experience:
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, and to learn at performance level a large repertoire of music that changes weekly.
- Strong sight-reading skills.
- For duty streams A and C: the ability to blend chorally in a group with a traditional (pure) Anglican sound.
Remuneration (quoted per schedule stream as shown above):
- Standard call fees: $60-$75 depending on length of call and complexity of repertoire. The majority of monthly calls are paid at the $60 rate.
- Sundays@4 (when there is no Choral Evensong): for services with a more significant soloistic aspect (e.g. Broadway Vespers): $75-$100, depending on repertoire complexity.
- Compline: $60.
Section Leaders will be offered opportunities to sing at weddings and funerals in the Cathedral for additional fees, as the need arises.
Applications:
Applicants should send a resumé and cover letter, stating your voice part, and which of the schedule streams (A, B, C) you would like to be considered for. Candidates may include links to recordings of solo performances if they wish.
Please send all materials via email to:
Dr. Neil Cockburn, Director of Music, Christ Church Cathedral, Vancouver, BC
neil@thecathedral.ca
The initial review of applications will begin on August 20, 2025. Applications will remain open until the positions are filled. Auditions and interviews will be scheduled in the final week of August, continuing into early September according to candidate availability.