Piano Accompanist

Point Park University • Pittsburgh, PA

12d

About The Position

The Full-Time Staff Accompanists provide high-level musical support for the School of Dance, primarily accompanying ballet technique classes ranging from beginner to pre-professional levels. This role requires a professional musician who can seamlessly translate a faculty member's movement instructions into sophisticated musical accompaniment. Some weekend and summer availability (6 consecutive weeks starting mid-June) is mandatory.
Schedule: Work schedule is 35 hours per week; approx. 25 hours per week in studio during Fall and Spring semesters and 20 hours per week in studio during Summer semesters plus off-site research hours for development of class repertoire and dance vocabulary.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Music (Piano Performance) or equivalent professional experience.
• Advanced piano technique with excellent sight-reading and the ability to adapt musical scores to the needs of a dance class.
• Significant experience (typically 3+ years) accompanying ballet in a professional company, pre-professional conservatory/studio or higher education environment.

Responsibilities

• Provide consistent, high-quality piano accompaniment for a wide range of classical ballet classes, such as daily ballet technique classes, pointe, pas de deux, male technique, ballet repertoire and character dance.
• Accompany School of Dance auditions, International Summer Dance auditions and others as needed.
• Work closely with dance faculty to interpret pedagogical goals, responding instantly to verbal cues or physical demonstrations regarding tempo, meter, and movement quality.
• Assist dance faculty with locating sheet music scores and audio recordings and make repertoire recordings upon request.
• Curate and perform an array of musical styles (Classical, Romantic, 20th Century, and contemporary arrangements) adapted to the specific phrasing of ballet exercises.
• Accompany School of Dance rehearsals, warmups, showcases, and student choreography as assigned.
• Other duties: as assigned by accompanist supervisor.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time