Junior Fellow in Viola
Royal Northern College of Music £9718.72 per annum Closing date 17 April 2026
The RNCM is looking to recruit a Junior Fellow in Viola for the Academic Year 2026/2027.
This position will allow the successful candidate the opportunity to gain experience within the RNCM’s diverse range of Orchestras and Ensembles, whilst allowing space to develop professional connections externally. Our Orchestral Junior Fellowships are salaried positions and in return you will be scheduled for 400 hours of RNCM ensemble rehearsals and performances.
RNCM students perform in the broadest range of ensembles, exploring music from all corners of the repertoire and plenty of brand-new works too. You could find yourself performing in Opera, Symphony Orchestra, Manchester Contemporary Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Repertoire Orchestras or internal workshops. Every project is exciting and unique. We invite world-class conductors and directors as well as regularly embedding professional players within ensembles. You’ll build working relationships with all of these people during your time as a Junior Fellow.
You might be asked to play in weekly classes for RNCM conducting students. These classes often welcome highly regarded visiting conductors and professional players, giving more chances for you to grow your network. You might be invited to support your school by playing in school-based activities such as workshops or repertoire ensembles.
You may also be required to play in School of Chamber Music activity, potential recruitment activities and administrative duties, at the discretion of the Head of School. All of the activity described above is included within the 400 hours of the contract.
You will lead by example, demonstrating to our existing students the professional etiquette required of a performer. You will have a solid base of orchestral experience from your own conservatoire or university training, and you will know the expectation to arrive to rehearsals in good time and fully prepared. Mentor support will be provided by relevant key staff. In this role, you will be able to observe RNCM teaching events e.g. masterclasses and thereby broaden your professional development.
The full commitment will be outlined at the start of the fellowship, with confirmed patches normally given no less than 3 months in advance. This will be arranged in collaboration between the Junior Fellows and the Orchestras and Ensembles department, and we will endeavour to honour any existing commitments. Some months will feel busier than others, but there will be plenty of space for you to plan ahead and take offers of work which fit around your RNCM schedule.
The contract for this role is subject to agreement of work dates, which can only be changed upon a subsequent mutual discussion and agreement.
This is a fixed term contract from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027.
This position will allow the successful candidate the opportunity to gain experience within the RNCM’s diverse range of Orchestras and Ensembles, whilst allowing space to develop professional connections externally. Our Orchestral Junior Fellowships are salaried positions and in return you will be scheduled for 400 hours of RNCM ensemble rehearsals and performances.
RNCM students perform in the broadest range of ensembles, exploring music from all corners of the repertoire and plenty of brand-new works too. You could find yourself performing in Opera, Symphony Orchestra, Manchester Contemporary Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Repertoire Orchestras or internal workshops. Every project is exciting and unique. We invite world-class conductors and directors as well as regularly embedding professional players within ensembles. You’ll build working relationships with all of these people during your time as a Junior Fellow.
You might be asked to play in weekly classes for RNCM conducting students. These classes often welcome highly regarded visiting conductors and professional players, giving more chances for you to grow your network. You might be invited to support your school by playing in school-based activities such as workshops or repertoire ensembles.
You may also be required to play in School of Chamber Music activity, potential recruitment activities and administrative duties, at the discretion of the Head of School. All of the activity described above is included within the 400 hours of the contract.
You will lead by example, demonstrating to our existing students the professional etiquette required of a performer. You will have a solid base of orchestral experience from your own conservatoire or university training, and you will know the expectation to arrive to rehearsals in good time and fully prepared. Mentor support will be provided by relevant key staff. In this role, you will be able to observe RNCM teaching events e.g. masterclasses and thereby broaden your professional development.
The full commitment will be outlined at the start of the fellowship, with confirmed patches normally given no less than 3 months in advance. This will be arranged in collaboration between the Junior Fellows and the Orchestras and Ensembles department, and we will endeavour to honour any existing commitments. Some months will feel busier than others, but there will be plenty of space for you to plan ahead and take offers of work which fit around your RNCM schedule.
The contract for this role is subject to agreement of work dates, which can only be changed upon a subsequent mutual discussion and agreement.
This is a fixed term contract from 1 September 2026 to 31 August 2027.