26th January 2026
For immediate release.
Assistant Music Director
Organisation: Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus
Location: Brighton
Contract: Freelance
Reports to: Artistic Director
About Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus
Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus (BrightonGMC) is an active diverse, and welcoming community of over 150 voices. We have grown rapidly and continue to attract new members. We regularly perform across Brighton & Hove, as well as nationally and internationally, using music to entertain, inspire, and advocate for LGBTQ+ visibility and equality. Our repertoire spans pop, musical theatre, classical, and contemporary choral works, often arranged in-house by our music team. Over the past year we have enjoyed an ambitious program of sell out concerts (including the Brighton Dome) community events as well as hosting gay men’s choruses from Barcelona, Dublin and Munich. Upcoming plans include: our Christmas show Beauty and the Bear at the Brighton Dome, community performances, corporate gigs and Various Voices (an LGBT+ choral festival) in Brussels. In 2030 Brighton will host Various Voices bringing around 5,000 singers to the city.
Role Overview
We are seeking a passionate, talented, and collaborative Assistant Music Director to support our Music Team – Joe Paxton and Tim Nail – in leading rehearsals, developing vocal technique, and conducting the Chorus for performances. This is a hands-on role for someone who wishes to develop strong musical leadership skills and has a commitment to our values of inclusivity, creativity, and queer joy in performance. The Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus provides a supportive and rewarding environment for developing choral conducting skills, including bespoke coaching from Artistic Director, Dr Joe Paxton. The selected candidate will also have the opportunity to gain insight into artistic planning and delivery and participate in the broader activities of the chorus.
Key Responsibilities
- Rehearsal Support – Lead full and sectional rehearsals when required, including warm-ups, note learning, and musical interpretation.
- Performance – Be able to conduct individual numbers in some shows, building up over time to being able to conduct entire shows independently having received coaching and support from the Artistic Director.
- Musical Preparation – Assist in selecting repertoire, arranging music, and preparing scores and learning tracks where needed.
- Performance Readiness – Work with the Artistic Director to ensure members are confident with music, staging, and stylistic requirements.
- Member Support – Offer guidance to individual singers and voice sections, supporting vocal health and technique.
- Deputising – Step in to lead rehearsals and conduct performances when the Artistic Director is unavailable.
- Collaboration – Work closely with the Chorus leadership team, trustees, and production teams to deliver high-quality performances.
- Artistic Contribution – Contribute creative ideas for concert programming, arrangements, and workshops
Person Specification
Essential Skills & Experience
- Choral conducting technique with a clear, confident conducting style.
- Solid musicianship: ability to read, interpret, and teach music across diverse genres.
- Experience of working with community or amateur choirs
- Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a warm, entertaining and encouraging approach.
- Commitment to equality, diversity, and LGBTQ+ inclusion.
Desirable Skills
- Experience arranging music for TTBB choirs.
- Keyboard skills for rehearsal support.
- Experience in performance production or concert staging.
- Ability to produce vocal learning resources.
Hours & Remuneration
- Weekly rehearsals on Tuesday evenings in Brighton, plus additional time for performances and events.
- Occasional weekend and evening commitments for performances, sectionals and workshops.
How to Apply
Please send your CV, a short cover letter outlining your relevant experience and why you’d like to work with Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus and a video of your conducting to artisticdirector@brightongmc.org by Friday February 20th 2026.
We welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds. You do not need to be a member of the LGBTQ+ community to apply, but you must actively support and respect the Chorus’s inclusive values.
ENDS
NOTES FOR EDITORS
ABOUT BRIGHTON GAY MEN’S CHORUS
Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus was established in January 2005 and has about 100 members. It provides a space where people can celebrate music, enjoy the fellowship of other like-minded people and contribute to the local communities it’s a part of.
The Chorus has three guiding principles, their “Three S’s”:
- Singing – the celebration of life and music through male voice harmonies;
- Socialising – using this activity to develop social bonds that help people to feel connected with a sometimes lonely world; and
- Support – to be there for each other – both collectively and individually – when the chips are down, and to be there for the communities in which the chorus operates, too.
The Chorus is a registered charity, no. 1171020, with 3 key charitable objectives:
- To promote public education by the study, practice and public performance of choral music; and to assist other charitable causes.
- For the public benefit to advance and promote the education of gay and gay-friendly men in Brighton and Hove in the subject of choral music, its study, practice and performance.
- The promotion of equality and diversity for the public benefit by the elimination of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, in particular but not exclusively by raising public awareness of discrimination towards and issues affecting the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community, and in such other ways as are exclusively charitable as the Trustees may from time to time determine.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
PR & Marketing Contact:
Jack Hobbs-Veli
PR & Marketing Co-ordinator
pr@brightongmc.org
Links to this Press Release
Short Link: http://bgmc.me/?p=9740