05/14/2025
St. David’s Episcopal Church, Baltimore, seeks singers to fill Soprano and Bass vocalist vacancies for their 2025-2026 season. Details, expectations, and a description of the music program are included below.
Earning potential for '25-'26 is upwards of $7,585, based upon a rate of $32.50 per hour or part thereof, with calls including Sunday mornings, bi-weekly Thursday rehearsals, and monthly Evensongs (or other significant choral liturgy/concert). This year's featured work is J.S. Bach's Mass in B Minor. (Please see the note below regarding COLA raises.)
A complete schedule for the season is posted here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aoe0gQzYuv_i-Sf7cyv57AyqXFshDX63uxoRhq4Rf5A/edit?usp=sharing
To inquire or apply, email Dr. Douglas Buchanan, Director of Music, at with the subject heading "Staff Singer Position". Please include a resume or CV including three references and a link to at least one recording (audio or video); if any of these are not available, please summarize your musical background to the best of your ability.
Applications will be accepted through May 31 and auditions will be scheduled upon receipt of materials.
Auditions will include singing at least one prepared excerpt of the candidate's choice, a prepared excerpt distributed by the Director of Music, an Anglican chant, and a sight-reading excerpt.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Praised by the Baltimore Sun for their “assured, nuanced singing,” the Choir of St. David’s is an eight-voice professional chamber choir that sings at weekly Sunday services (10:00-11:15), monthly Evensongs, and at concert events from the Sunday after Labor day through Trinity Sunday. On occasion the choir is expanded with additional singers for special events. Rehearsals are held every other Thursday from 7:30-9:30. The Choir of St. David's and their director Douglas Buchanan are currently one of four finalist choir-director pairings for the Professional division of the American Prize.
Pay is based upon a rate of $32.50/hour or part thereof, typically equaling $65/Thursday rehearsal and $100/service (services receive a slight bonus to bring the amount up to $100). Please note that, while a COLA increase for 2026 is not necessarily guaranteed, each of the last several years saw the hourly rate increase.
Additional services include mid-month Choral Evensongs, Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, the Baltimore Bach Marathon, and Holy Week (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday Noon and Evening services, Holy Saturday, and Easter Day services).
A complete schedule for the 25-26 season, with earnings potential, is available here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aoe0gQzYuv_i-Sf7cyv57AyqXFshDX63uxoRhq4Rf5A/edit?usp=sharing
The ideal candidate will be someone who is musically collaborative and willing to engage in a variety of musical styles, from early music to world premiers of commissioned works. Due to the rapidity with which we learn music, excellent sight-reading skills are necessary. (As all music is distributed in advance, dedication to learning music prior to rehearsal in cases where sight-reading is not the given musician's strongest area is recognized as an equally valid approach to music-making.)
The Music at St David's program strives to present music in a canon-expansive context, weekly presenting music from historically excluded composers and lifting up new and emerging voices to represent the fullness of humanity. Evensongs – including those for the Feast of Hildegard von Bingen, Indigenous Peoples Day, Veterans Day, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Pride Month – serve as focal points for this work.
Canonical composers are also presented at events including the Baltimore Bach Marathon, which has regularly been featured on WBJC, including our performance of the St. John Passion [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9h-lvs_Zlo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9h-lvs_Zlo) and the St. Matthew Passion [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR-5xO5otS4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR-5xO5otS4) of J.S. Bach.
Visit www.stdavidsbaltimore.org and contact Dr. Buchanan at the address above to learn more.
