Description

The School of Music at Carnegie Mellon University seeks a collegial and accomplished Collaborative Pianist and Vocal Coach to join the faculty as a full time Assistant Teaching Professor of Music beginning Fall 2026.

The successful candidate will contribute to CMU’s distinctive interdisciplinary ecosystem and collaborative culture, working closely with applied voice and collaborative piano students while participating in related performance activities, including recitals, juries, performance classes, auditions, and productions.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Teaching

•      Teaching courses in vocal/opera literature and diction as aligned with expertise
•       Accompanying and co-teaching Opera Workshop
•       Teaching weekly applied lessons to collaborative piano majors
•       Adjudicating collaborative piano major auditions and juries 

Coaching and Collaboration

• Serving as vocal coach and/or pianist for School of Music opera productions; responsibilities may include evening and weekend rehearsals as needed.
• Serving as vocal coach for select undergraduate and graduate voice majors.
• Accompanying departmental performance classes and voice auditions as needed
• Serving as pianist for select undergraduate and graduate voice major recitals and juries

Service

• Participating in student recruitment and outreach activities
• Attending School of Music faculty and departmental meetings
• Participating in artistic planning
• Service on school, college, and university committees

About the program

Founded in 1912, CMU’s School of Music offers Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Music degrees in instrumental, piano, and vocal performance and composition; a Bachelor of Fine Arts in electronic music; and a Master of Music in collaborative piano. In collaboration with the School of Computer Science and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the School also offers both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Music and Technology. With 42 full-time faculty, 55 part-time faculty (including 22 from the Grammy-Award-winning Pittsburgh Symphony), and 13 administrative and technical staff, Carnegie Mellon’s School of Music blends the one-on-one conservatory model of musical mentorship with the resources and research capacities of an R1 university. Carnegie Mellon is renowned for its interdisciplinary work, including but not limited to the areas of arts and technology, machine learning, AI, and new media.

The Collaborative Piano Department, consisting of six full-time faculty members, provides specialized training to pianists pursuing careers working with singers and instrumentalists, equipping them with the skills and artistry required for this vital field in the music industry. The opera area presents two to three fully staged productions and scene performances each year in collaboration with its distinguished faculty and guest artists.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Outstanding artistic ability as a collaborative pianist with demonstrated expertise in vocal and opera coaching techniques
• Comprehensive knowledge of vocal and opera literature
• Demonstrated excellence or strong potential for excellence in teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary environment
• Mastery of Italian, German, French, and English language lyric diction
• Earned doctorate in a relevant field or equivalent professional experience 

Preferred Qualifications

• College teaching experience with a proven track record in recruitment
• Expertise in a language outside of the standard operatic canon
• Experience working in young artist programs within existing opera companies