Position : Associate Director, Festival Orchestra and Special Projects

Department: Programming

Role Overview: Reporting to the Chief Artistic Officer, the Associate Director works in close collaboration with the Festival Orchestra Music Director and Artistic Director, as well as the Orchestra Line Producer, to curate, plan, and produce the five-week Festival Orchestra season. This includes five weeks of performances in David Geffen Hall. Work with the Chief Artistic Officer and Vice President to support and produce special projects associated with Lincoln Center’s programming as assigned.

What you’ll get to do here:

Managing the Festival Orchestra's artistic planning process, including repertoire curation and programs and aligning the orchestra’s programming with broader Lincoln Center artistic and institutional goals.
Booking for guest soloists and conductors, negotiating fees and contracting artists outside of the orchestra for concert engagements
Identifying, offering, contracting, and tracking progress for commissions for the Festival Orchestra repertoire.
Collaborating with Lincoln Center Education and the Music Director to develop strategy and implement education programs in coordination and collaboration with the Festival Orchestra season.
Creating and managing the Festival Orchestra budget.
Ensuring compliance with all CBA and IMA requirements relating to communications with orchestra and Orchestra Committee, personnel, rehearsal and performance scheduling, overtime, and other matters.
Ensuring successful rehearsal process, performances, and auditions; securing performance, audition, and rehearsal venues and needs.
Supporting the Music Director through stakeholder management, which can include entertaining guests, maintaining the Music Director's calendar for all campus related activity, and attending every rehearsal and performance.
Facilitating year-round orchestra touchpoints with LCPA, focusing on community building and making LCPA a home for our guest artists both in and out of the Festival Orchestra season.
Producing special projects as assigned outside of the Festival Orchestra season, managing the planning and operational delivery of all aspects of the project to ensure each project achieves its intended outcome from an artistic and audience development perspective.
Submitting performance reports after each show.
Liaising with LCPA departments, constituent organizations, and other artistic partners throughout the year. Serving specifically as a collaborator with Advancement & Innovation for fundraising, sponsorship, and board cultivation opportunities.
Hiring additional seasonal staff as needed, as approved by Chief Artistic Officer.

You'll be a fit if you bring:

8+ years of experience curating, developing, and producing orchestral performances within mid-to-large performing arts non-profit organizations or festivals, complemented by a Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience
Strong knowledge of classic and contemporary trends in the orchestral and performing arts (domestic and international)
Thorough knowledge of, and high-quality network of contacts within, the orchestral performance programming space, including but not limited to relevant arts festivals, venues, arts centers, arts companies and artists, both nationally and internationally
Proven ability and experience in conducting successful daily interactions with international, national and local agents, promoters, venues and artists; including acting as a conduit between artists, promoters and co-presenters and a large, complex arts organization and/or venue
Experience cultivating commission programs; issuing, contracting, and managing commissions to fruition
Experience in developing and delivering audience development strategies
Experience in developing project budgets
Successful track record managing a team of direct and indirect reports using persuasion and influence to achieve objectives
Experience developing marketing and publicity strategies
Experience negotiating and preparing contracts with artists, promoters and arts organizations
Strong team, relationship management and leadership skills coupled with strong oral and written communication skills.
Experience in production management and/or managing artist logistics
Openness to moderate to frequent travel

What is Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts? 

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. (LCPA) is a cultural and civic cornerstone of New York City. We believe the arts play an important role in our lives: they nourish our hearts and minds, teach us valuable lessons and critical skills, and help us create community. We are resolved not to lose sight of what connects us, and we hope you will consider joining our talented, diverse team.

We are:  

The manager of the 16-acre Lincoln Center campus
We are one of eleven amazing resident arts organizations
A leading Arts Presenter.   
We curate numerous programs and performances, showcasing music, dance, and more
An Education Hub.   
We have reached 20 million students, educators, principals, and community members

Who are our people?  

LCPA is a team of dreamers, collaborators, and entrepreneurs who use unique platforms in the heart of New York City and beyond to advocate for the transformative impact of artistic experiences.

Lincoln Center People imagine and create in concert with this mission by founding President John D. Rockefeller III - "The arts are not for the privileged few, but for the many. Their place is not on the periphery of daily life, but at its center."   

We welcome applicants from all sectors who agilely solve problems, show up as they are, and can't stop innovating.

What’s the news? 

Recent and Upcoming Programming

Sensory-Friendly 'Big Umbrella Festival' Returns To Lincoln Center
Tony Winner Shaina Taub to Perform at Lincoln Center in American Songbook
De La Soul playing "choose-what-you-pay" show at Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center to Present Groundbreaking Acts at globalFEST 2025

Campus Happenings

Lincoln Center Taps Education Leader as Next President
Clint Ramos Named as Lincoln Center’s Artist-in-Residence
The ‘Converse Conductor’ Fighting Elitism in Classical Music
For Lincoln Center’s West Side, A New Story

Legacies of San Juan Hill

Before Lincoln Center, San Juan Hill Was a Vibrant Black Community
Lincoln Center Launches San Juan Hill Project Digital Hub To Remember the Lost Urban Neighborhood
Lincoln Center lanza plataforma para rescatar la cultura de un barrio negro
‘San Juan Hill: Manhattan’s Lost Neighborhood’ Premiering at Lincoln Center

Who is our President and CEO?  

Dr. Mariko Silver

Join us! 

It is the policy of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc., to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability, marital or civil partnership/union status, familial or caregiver status, alienage or citizenship status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, military or veteran status, genetic information, predisposition, or carrier status, unemployment status, domestic violence, sexual violence, or stalking victim status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. LCPA is committed to creating a dynamic work environment that values diversity and inclusion, respect and integrity, customer focus, and innovation.

If you require reasonable accommodation in locating open positions, completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to Abigail Worsnip at (212) 875–5324.

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts jobs

Associate Director, Festival Orchestra and Special Projects