Auditions and Employment

Information for Michigan Opera Theatre Chorus Members

ABOUT:

The Michigan Opera Theatre Chorus is a professional group of diverse men and women of all professions and backgrounds. Choristers rehearse weekday evenings and weekends for each production period.

The Michigan Opera Theatre Chorus is hired on a per production basis. Michigan Opera Theatre engages its artists under an American Guild of Musical Artists contract.

Michigan Opera Theatre holds auditions for the chorus once per calendar year for the following opera season. Chorus members must audition each year.

AMERICAN GUILD OF MUSICAL ARTISTS

American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) is the union that represents our musical artists including the chorus.

The Company engages musical artists under an AGMA Standard Artist’s Contract for Employment. Each artist engaged will have the right to join or refrain from joining AGMA in accordance with Michigan’s right to work law. Regardless of whether you join AGMA, the terms of the CBA with AGMA will apply to your work with MOT.

AGMA elects local representatives. The current representatives noted below, are fellow members of the chorus and are available to answer any questions as well as give you a copy of the contract between MOT and AGMA so you are fully aware of your rights, responsibilities, and protections. Please address all questions regarding the union to your AGMA representative or to AGMA directly.

Membership in AGMA:

AGMA initiation fee is $1000. This amount can be worked out on a payment plan through the union directly. AGMA requires you to pay dues in the amount of $79 per year as well as a 2% fee deducted from every paycheck. The $79.00 is billed annually beginning in December and will be due and payable by January 31.

A copy of the agreement between Michigan Opera Theatre and AGMA is available in the Production Department upon request.

You may find more information at www.musicalartists.org. Please make sure that you review the page marked “Member Info”

How to Apply:

Qualified applicants should submit their resume by email to employment@motopera.org.

Shifts available:

Saturday-Sunday, 3-11 PM (16 hrs./week)

Saturday-Sunday, 9 AM-9 PM (24 hrs./week)

Saturday-Sunday, 9 AM-9 PM (24 hrs./week)

Position Summary:

Michigan Opera Theatre is southeast Michigan’s premier venue for opera and dance, and is a contemporary cultural-corner stone of the City of Detroit. Located in the heart of downtown Detroit, near Comerica Park, Michigan Opera Theatre offers a dynamic work environment. Through a meticulous security strategy, Michigan Opera Theatre Security Officers provide services designed to ensure the protective security of Michigan Opera Theatre staff, patrons, visitors and performers; and the Detroit Opera House buildings and grounds. Incumbents in this position will secure premises, personnel, patrons and guests by patrolling property; monitoring surveillance equipment; patrolling and inspecting buildings, equipment, and access points; permitting entry and checking credentials. During performances and other large events with visiting attendees, Security Officers monitor crowds, and provide crowd management services for the safety of visitors, employees and artists.

Job Responsibilities:

• Patrol and secure the Detroit Opera House.
• Monitor and analyze CCTV camera footage.
• Protect company assets relative to theft, assault, fire and other safety issues; guard valuables in a secure area
• Respond to alarms and emergencies, communicate any irregularities with management
• Keep a thorough incident report record; follow procedures for various initiatives including fire prevention, traffic control and accident investigations
• Check visitors in and out of the Detroit Opera House, and escort visitors around the premises.
• Guard valuables in a secure area
• Ensure compliance with government regulations

Required Qualifications:

• High school diploma or GED equivalent
• Ability to pass state background check
• Clean driving record
• Minimum 1 year of relevant security experience
• Ethical, confident, and dependable

Desired Qualifications:

• First aid/CPR-certified
• Customer service experience

Physical Demands of the Work Environment:

• Ability to navigate buildings including stairwells, work areas, parking structure, and patron areas as part of building security checks.
• Ability to ascend and descend stairwells multiple times during a shift as part of building security checks.
• Ability to stand for up to 3 hours at a time
• Ability to lift up to 60 lbs.

Application Deadline

Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days. This job may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

Applications will be reviewed as received throughout the posting period and continue until the position is filled.

Classification status:           Part time, non-exempt, hourly

Last updated:                    6/24/2021

Michigan Opera Theatre is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and encourages all employees to fully incorporate their diverse backgrounds, skills, and life experiences into their work and towards the fulfillment of the MOT mission.

Classification: Full-time, Exempt
Department: Marketing and Communications
Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, occasional weekends/evening performances as needed
Posting ends: July 31^st, 2021

How to Apply:
Qualified applicants should submit their resume and cover letter via email to employment@motopera.org

Position Summary:
The Director of Marketing and Communications (DoMC) is responsible for the successful development and implementation of Michigan Opera Theatre’s (MOT) marketing, branding, sales, research, and communications efforts. The DoMC directly supervises the Box Office Manager and by extension, Box Office operations, and is responsible for achieving sales goals of tickets for MOT performances. Simultaneously, the DoMC is responsible for developing a cohesive marketing strategy, curating the company’s image, and raising visibility and awareness of MOT both locally and nationally to support all institutional goals. The DoMC share’s MOT’s commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, and collaborates with the President & CEO and the Artistic Director to establish a marketing strategy that supports the artistic vision and operating objectives of the Opera Company and its various business units, including the Detroit Opera House (DOH).

Reporting Structure:
The Director of Marketing and Communications reports to the President & CEO of Michigan Opera Theatre.

Supervisory Experience:
The Director of Marketing and Communications supervises all staff in the Marketing Department, including the Marketing Manager, Communications and Media Relations Manager, the Marketing Operations Web Coordinator, and the Box Office Manager.

Key Job Responsibilities:

• Lead initiatives in the development and implementation of innovative marketing, communications, and sales/service strategies to achieve revenue goals, build the MOT brand, promote opera and dance offerings, and raise awareness both locally and nationally of MOT programs and achievements.

• Develops annual communication strategies and plans for MOT and DOH and oversees the implementation of all aspects related to implementation of such.
  • Develops plans and leads messaging decisions for communicating MOT and DOH activities to the media.
  • Develops plans and leads messaging decisions for website, social media, and e-communications programs.
• Develops and is accountable for, season and single ticket sales goals and revenue projections in collaboration with other senior leaders.
• Leads discussions relating to the determination of ticket pricing, discounting, and scaling of performance venues to maximize attendance and revenue.
• Leads the MOT’s research efforts to better understand and respond to its patrons utilizing both qualitative and quantitative forms of research.
• Stewards the MOT brand, including consistently enforcing company-wide use of graphics standards and style guidelines as well as key organizational messages.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications or related degree, or equivalent education plus experience.
• Ten or more years of experience successfully leading marketing and communications functions of a complex organization. Performing arts experience preferred.
• Five years of focused experience in customer or member acquisition and retention.
• Ability to understand diverse perspectives and acknowledge the significance of differences and complexities in backgrounds, cultures, values, and viewpoints as the foundation for an inclusive environment.
• Proven ability to build strong brands and increase earned income.
• Exceptional communication skills, both written and verbal. 
• Proficiency with email marketing, ticketing systems, and Microsoft Office Suite, required.

Desired Qualifications:

• Demonstrated experience with marketing communication disciplines and multi-channel campaign design and execution. Experience with TRG Consulting preferred.
• Master’s degree in Marketing preferred.
• Experience with Tessitura preferred.
• Preference for candidates with experience in a subscription-based environment.

Essential functions/physical demands:

• The DoMC position must be able to attend occasional evening and weekend rehearsals and performances of MOT and DOH, outside of normal office hours.
• The DoMC position must be able to remain in a stationary position for periods of time.
• The DoMC position occasionally moves throughout the building to access files.

Application Deadline:
Job openings are posted for a minimum of seven calendar days.  This job may be removed from posting boards and filled anytime after the minimum posting period has ended.

Applications will be reviewed as received throughout the posting period and continue until the position is filled.

Michigan Opera Theatre is committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and encourages all employees to fully incorporate their diverse backgrounds, skills, and life experiences into their work and towards the fulfillment of the MOT mission.

The Digital Media Manager and Storyteller will play an essential role for Michigan Opera Theatre in supporting company objectives, charged with elevating the presence and relevancy of opera and dance in metro Detroit through a combined and unique set of journalism, media, and design skills. The Digital Media Manager and Storyteller is a creative and innovative self-starter who develops digital content to ensure Michigan Opera Theatre and the Detroit Opera House reaches and engages loyal audiences on all digital and social media platforms.

The Digital Media Manager and Storyteller is charged with curating and communicating stories of mission-driven impact to the broader community and acts as an embedded journalist, covering MOT programs and capturing the experiences of our patrons, musicians, guest artists, and program participants to effectively support growth in audiences, partnerships, and contributions—all critical to MOT’s strategic plan.

The Digital Media Manager and Storyteller is also charged with engaging and growing new audiences across all digital and social media platforms.

Specific Responsibilities and Duties:

• Articulates and creates a long-term strategy for successful audience growth across multiple digital platforms, including:
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube and Vimeo
  • Spotify
  • Company website
  • Others as deemed effective/necessary
• Builds and executes a yearly digital content plan that incorporates winning strategies for all relevant digital platforms, prioritizing continued engagement of current followers/patrons, along with the growth of new followers and potential ticket buyers and donors.
• Generate an expansive archive of MOT’s demonstrated impact in the community and serve as a critical resource for proposal development and effective reporting to major funders and other vested partners.
• Manages sponsored content budget
• Identifies and executes digital content partnerships to enable growth
• Collaborates with MOT staff, musicians, leadership, program participants, and patrons to achieve interesting, engaging, and relevant storytelling and content
• Acts as a journalist that attends majority of community and education events to capture experiences across various media, including the development of featured stories and the interviewing/surveying of participants for the purposes of program impact and efficacy
• Create deliverables that help convey the heart and soul of what MOT represents in a way that resonates with audiences and MOT stakeholders alike.

Competencies:

• An affinity for the arts
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills
• Demonstrated ability to inspire and motivate creative individuals and team members
• Expert knowledge of social media platforms
• Creation, management, and execution of comprehensive content calendar
• Deep understanding of winning content approaches that are suitable for different platforms
• Ability to learn new media platforms quickly to evolve with the social media landscape
• Knowledge of streaming services, especially those providing a paywall option
• Strong ability and experience creating online short-form video
• Photo editing skills required
• Photography skills required
• Experience in Adobe Creative Suite
• Ability to manage competing organizational priorities

Position Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree preferred, with a specialization in Communications, Creative Writing, or Journalism
• Budget management experience
• Minimum of 3 years experience writing and producing media content
• Minimum of 3 years digital/video content creation experience
• 2-3 years experience in negotiating with vendors/outside entities preferred
• Must be able to provide a portfolio of work, including writing samples and either videography or photography samples capturing live events and public gatherings
• Ability to work evenings and weekends when needed
• Experience in Adobe Creative Suite
• Ability to operate in a PC network environment

Note: The job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee.

Position Reports to:            Director of Marketing and Communications
Classification status:           Full-Time, Exempt
Last updated:                    02/24/2021

Compensation:
Compensation is commensurate with the duties and responsibilities of this position.

The position of Digital Media Manager and Storyteller is made possible in its first two years by an OPERA America Innovation Grant, supported by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.

Application Process:
To apply for this position in confidence, please send resume and cover letter to: employment@motopera.org. Applications may be addressed to Zach Suchanek, H.R. Assistant.

Michigan Opera Theatre is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity in our workforce.