EMERGING MUSICIANS PROGRAMME MANAGER (PART-TIME)

EMERGING MUSICIANS PROGRAMME MANAGER (PART-TIME)

ROLE:

We are looking for a highly motivated and collaborative Emerging Musicians

Programme Manager with experience of managing projects in the arts and working with early-career and/or young musicians. In this exciting role, you will lead the development and delivery of NCEM’s National and International projects supporting emerging musicians, alongside our creative learning projects with young people across York and the East Riding of Yorkshire. You will bring excellent project management, communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build positive relationships with young people, musicians and partner organisations. You will be confident working independently, taking initiative and managing your own workload, with strong organisational skills and an eye for detail to ensure the smooth and effective delivery of projects, including the associated administrative tasks.

Passionate about widening access to creative opportunities and careers in music, you will play an important role in an organisation with the development of musicians at its heart. Working closely with the Artistic Director and Executive Director, you will help ensure that our work with emerging and young musicians is of the highest quality and contributes to NCEM’s wider artistic vision. You will be an important member of NCEM’s highly professional and committed team, working collaboratively with colleagues while taking individual responsibility for your projects. You will be supported by experienced project delivery colleagues and a dedicated Board of Trustees. This is an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the development of musicians and the creation of inspiring musical opportunities for the next generation.

ABOUT THE NCEM:

With 50 years of knowledge, trusted networks and a reputation for excellent and inclusivity at our heart, we nurture the next generation of composers and performers whilst providing an accessible, welcoming and affordable destination for audiences and communities to discover nationally and internationally significant artists from our stunning Grade 1 listed home in York, and in partnership across the UK and abroad.

The NCEM has built a strong international reputation amongst festivals, conservatoires and ensembles across Europe as a centre for artist development. We run two major competitions which encourage talented young composers and gifted early music specialists - the NCEM Young Composers Award and the York Early Music International Young Artists Competition. These attract national and international interest and are supported by BBC Radio 3 and some of the finest musicians in the world. The NCEM continues to support alumni of the NCEM Young Composers Award by offering composition opportunities with professional ensembles in the York Early Music Festivals. 2026 saw the NCEM partner with The Gesualdo 6 on their Emerging Ensembles Programme, where we will work with The Gesualdo 6 to support the next stage of their selected ensembles with professional development opportunities.

Within our home City of York, we are committed to providing creative learning opportunities for young people. Wherever possible we connect our professional musicians with our young musicians, such as workshops for The Minster Minstrels (our youth baroque ensemble), for our partner primary school of St Lawrences, with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and other leading music organisations, and we create music workshops for young people within and around our early music festivals.

Read more about the NCEM here https://ncem.co.uk/about/

KEY ELEMENTS OF THE ROLE:

Delivering the NCEM Emerging Musicians Development Schemes Nationally & Internationally

a) NCEM Young Composers Award from design stage to premiere, involving:

- Concept design, publicity and distribution, and application process

- Liaison with ensemble, BBC R3, composer-mentor, and young composers

Creating complementary composition workshops for school-aged musicians

- Preparation for the award day and livestream, and premiere

- Organisation of wrap-around skills development workshops and online composer ‘clinics’

b) New Commission Opportunities for NCEM Young Composers Alumni

Developing the musical brief for new commissions alongside the artists and composermentor, and sharing the opportunities with NCEM Young Composers Alumni

Liaison with composer, and partner ensemble re contract and performance

c) Delivering the International Young Artists Competition

- Publicity and communication with young artists, conservatoires & universities

- Liaison with judges, artistic advisers, mentor, competition partners and prize-givers

- Design of application process and competition launch

- Preparation for shortlisting and competition week

- Arranging prize-winners recording (in association with Linn Records) and concert

d) NCEM with The Gesualdo 6 Emerging Ensembles Programme

Working alongside the G6 team to provide their cohort ensembles with opportunities within NCEM’s audience and community projects.

e) Other Opportunities with Emerging Ensembles

- Planning emerging ensemble residencies at the NCEM

- Working with emerging ensembles on NCEM’s Baroque around the Books programme

Developing relationships with emerging musicians, conservatoires, universities and festivals across the UK and beyond, sharing NCEM’s development opportunities, advocating for the NCEM and identifying and exploring new opportunities for emerging young early music ensembles and composers.

Delivering the NCEM Creative Learning Programme Locally & Regionally

a) Liaison for The Minster Minstrels, the NCEM’s early music performance ensemble for schoolaged children, run in association with York Music Centre

Support the expansion of the NCEM’s work with the group, arranging additional tutoring from NCEM connected artists

- Organising performances/touring opportunities outside of the York Music Centre concerts

b) Developing composition workshops for York-based school-aged musicians in connection with the NCEM Young Composers Award

c) Working with our partner primary school of St Lawrences to ensure that each year group engages with the NCEM both in school and at NCEM throughout each school year, with specific focus on early years

d) Designing and delivering projects involving young people within or around NCEM’s early music festivals, including working with the OAE Education Team and others on their York schools projects

Across Projects

a) Working with Directors to understand the context for emerging musicians, specifically in the early music sector, and to develop our programmes to support their career pathways

b) Designing and running appropriate evaluation models for each project, to ensure that each project is achieving its objectives

c) Engage with our academic partners in combined research opportunities

d) Supporting the Executive Director in raising funds from trusts and foundations for current and future development and learning projects

e) Work with our communities and engage with a wide range of voices to continually develop our portfolio of projects, ensuring that our work is inclusive and relevant for the cultural industry and those seeking to engage with it. The NCEM engages with diverse artists in a range of genres reflecting the diversity of our community and has developed an inclusive mindset within our teams to welcome people from a wider range of backgrounds to the NCEM.

f) Working collaboratively with the NCEM team, mainly

o Artistic Director (Delma Tomlin) and Executive Director (Cherry Fricker);

o Operations Manager