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Vassar is a highly selective, coeducational liberal arts college of about 2400 undergraduate students, located in the Hudson Valley, seventy-five miles north of New York City. Vassar stands upon the homelands of the Munsee Lenape. The College is located in Poughkeepsie, home to a culturally diverse community, and benefits from convenient commuter rail access to New York City. Vassar faculty are committed teachers/scholars who bring research and creative discovery to life for students in classrooms, labs, and studios and in individually-mentored projects. They teach broadly in the curricula of their departments, advise students, and serve on college-wide and departmental committees. The College maintains a generous leave policy, provides strong support for research, and encourages multidisciplinary approaches to teaching.

The Department of Music at Vassar College invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor specializing in Composition. This position will start August, 2025.

Vassar College is deeply committed to increasing the diversity of the campus community and the curriculum, and to promoting an environment of equality, inclusion, and respect for difference. Candidates who can contribute to this goal through their teaching, research, advising, and other activities are encouraged to identify their strengths and experiences in this area. The College is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer, and especially welcomes applications from veterans, women, individuals with disabilities, and members of racial, ethnic, and other groups whose underrepresentation in the American professoriate has been severe and longstanding.

The Department of Music seeks an experienced teacher and artist with broad expertise in music composition and creation. The successful candidate will anchor our three-course composition sequence, supervise independent composition projects, contribute to our department by teaching at the introductory, intermediate and advanced levels, work with both music majors and non-majors, and contribute to the core music curriculum. Expertise with electronic and digital music, commercial music, songwriting, production, or related fields is desired. We also welcome applications from composers who would enjoy writing for our departmental student ensembles. The teaching load in the first year is four courses, and in subsequent years is either five courses or four classroom courses plus one 'intensive,' a small enrollment, closely mentored experience for undergraduates.

A completed advanced degree (PhD, DMA or MFA/MM) in composition or similar field at the time of appointment, evidence of active, significant composition/performance activity, experience with college-level teaching at the undergraduate level, and a strong commitment to the liberal arts and departmental service are required.

Pay Transparency Disclosure: The annual base starting salary range for this position is $92,000 to $102,000 (USD). This range includes new faculty appointments beginning the first year of a standard tenure clock as well as Assistant Professors with previous tenure-line experience who will be on an accelerated tenure clock. When extending an offer of employment, Vassar College considers factors such as (but not limited to) candidates education/training, work experience, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizational considerations. This salary range represents the Colleges good faith and reasonable estimate at the time of posting. The starting salary for an Assistant Professor in this position with a PhD beginning the first year of a standard tenure clock in Fall 2025 is $96,000.

Candidates should submit:

1) Cover letter

2) CV

3) Teaching statement that outlines the candidates approach to the classroom and teaching philosophy

4) Artistic statement that describes the motivation, ethics, and aesthetics of candidates creative process, including contextualizing compositions and compositional techniques within contemporary practices

5) Diversity statement that describes your past contributions and/or future plans for promoting diversity and inclusion through teaching, creative output, and other involvement (additional information can be found at: https://offices.vassar.edu/dean-of-the-faculty/positions/candidate-diversity-statement/)

6) Two samples of composition work (score AND recording/MIDI realization/video)

7) Three letters of recommendation

8) Graduate transcript (unofficial transcripts can be used for initial application)

Applications should be addressed to the Music Department and submitted online at: https://employment.vassar.edu/postings/4059. PhD, DMA, MFA, or MFA/MM is required or must be in hand by time of appointment. Address any questions to Justin Patch, Search Chair at jupatch@vassar.edu. Review of applicant materials will begin on October 14, 2024 and will continue until the position has been filled. There is no guarantee that applications received after October 14 will be reviewed.