Employment at the QCSO
Below are the opportunities available at the Quad City Symphony. If you have an interest, please view the job description posted and then complete the Application Procedure. Thank you for visiting the QCSO website, we look forward to hearing from you!
Auditions
Membership in the Quad City Symphony Orchestra is gained through an audition process. Auditions for open positions will be announced here.
The QCSO is proud to be a partner orchestra of the National Alliance for Audition Support (NAAS), an unprecedented national initiative to increase diversity in American orchestras. It will do so by offering Black and Latinx musicians a customized combination of mentoring, audition preparation, financial support, and audition reviews. Learn more at www.auditionalliance.org.
If you have any questions about auditioning for the QCSO, please email Marc Zyla, QCSO Personnel Manager.
Auditions
Please see below for information on open positions in the Quad City Symphony Orchestra.
Principal Viola
The Audition:
Date: April 3rd, 2025 (8:30 AM – 3:00 PM)
Location: Adler Theatre, 136 E 3rd St. Davenport, IA 52801
Position: Principal Viola (A Contract, 35 guaranteed services)
Position to begin fall 2025.
Application Deadline: The application deadline has passed.
Service Minimums: Contracted Principal Musicians shall commit to no fewer than two-thirds (2/3) of offered Masterworks Performance Sets and at least one-half (1/2) of all other offered non-Masterworks Performance Sets
Compensation (2024-2025 rates):
Per Service: $131.70 (base scale)
Meal Per Diem: $15.00
Hotel Reimbursement: $59.00 per night
Travel Reimbursement: $.42 per mile, $.54 if transporting additional musicians
**2025-beyond compensation rates are currently under negotiation**
Required Audition Excerpts: CLICK HERE
Application Process:
Complete the online form below and attach your one-page resume. There is no deposit.
Oboe III/English Horn
The Audition:
Date: April 4th, 2025, 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Location: Adler Theatre, 136 E 3rd St. Davenport, IA 52801
Position: Oboe III/English Horn (B Contract, 15 guaranteed services)
Position to begin fall 2025.
Application Deadline: The application deadline has passed.
Service Minimums: Contracted Musicians shall commit to no fewer than two-thirds (2/3) of offered Masterworks Performance Sets and at least one-half (1/2) of all other offered non-Masterworks Performance Sets
Compensation (2024-2025 rates):
Per Service: $119.44 (base scale)
Meal Per Diem: $15.00
Hotel Reimbursement: $59.00 per night (Association Provided hotel option also available)
Travel Reimbursement: $.42 per mile, $.54 if transporting additional musicians
**2025-Beyond compensation rates are currently under negotiation**
Required Audition Excerpts: CLICK HERE
Application Process:
Complete the online form below and attach your one-page resume. There is no deposit.
Private Lesson Cello Instructor
The Quad City Symphony Orchestra is looking to hire experienced music teachers to establish private teaching studios within the Quad Cities in an effort to help us continue to grow our Private Lesson Program (PLP).
Responsibilities:
- Plan and prepare lessons in relation to individual students’ needs
- Teach music theory, aural skills and practical techniques to students as needed to fully participate in lessons and ensembles.
- Provide the Director of Education and Community Engagement with desired teaching days/rates.
- Provide the QCSO Director of Finance with logs of lessons taught according to pay date schedule for the purpose of payroll and invoicing to students.
- Motivate students and encourage progress
- Communicate with Director of Education and Community Engagement.
- Ensure up-to-date knowledge and awareness of honor band and orchestra audition requirements (IMEA, ILMEA, etc.)
- Foster an environment within the teaching studio of constructive feedback and open communication with parents.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor of Music in Performance or Education or required. Masters degree preferred (Performance Diplomas also considered).
- Demonstrable knowledge of music curriculum and the ability to implement it
- Ability to interact collaboratively with students, parents, and administration
- Excellent oral and written skills
- Able to pass a local background check
- Strong organizational skills
- Able to thrive working in a team environment
Compensation
- Instructors will be classified as employees of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra and will be paid on the 15th of each month via direct deposit.
- Instructors will set their own lesson length/dates/rates.
- The QCSO is solely responsible for collecting lesson fees.
Application Procedure:
Interested parties should submit a resume and a cover letter that describes your teaching philosophy to Chelsea Sammons at csammons@qcso.org. No phone calls, please. Review of applications will begin immediately, and applications will be reviewed until needs are met. Questions about the position can be directed to Chelsea Sammons at csammons@qcso.org, and interested candidates are encouraged to apply early.
Intern at the QCSO
We are always looking for unpaid interns seeking to learn in a non-profit environment.
Internships are available throughout the year. During the school year, interns must commit to at least two hours per day, once per week. When school is not in session, interns must commit to at least ten hours per week spread out over two to five days. Many of our interns work up to 20 hours per week. We do not allow unpaid interns to work more than 20 hours per week, except under a school sanctioned program. We have had interns from Augustana, St. Ambrose, Western Illinois University and other area educational institutions and, if you show genuine interest, they are happy to talk to you about their experiences.
Our interns have helped with subscriptions and ticketing, marketing flyers, a recycling initiative, advertiser and sponsor targeting, participated in the Quad City Chamber of Commerce’s Intern QC project, helped with youth music education programs, worked symphony events and helped with a variety of tasks required to surprise and delight our subscribers and ticket holders. The occasional lunches, free event tickets and lots of thanks is your reward along with solid, practical internship experience that can give you a leg up in the highly competitive job market. Many interns have also shared the benefit academically through course credits.
Are you interested? Please, email us sharing your thoughts or to learn more.
What our interns have to say…
As an accounting intern at the QCSO, I have learned what it means to be an accountant for a nonprofit organization. It’s not just about being the “money person”, it means working with all staff members in order to make the organization run more smoothly. As an intern, I have also been able to work on projects in other departments, giving me experience in working for a nonprofit as a whole. I absolutely love working for the Symphony because of the enthusiasm and encouragement that comes from all staff members. This internship has given me confidence in my passion for nonprofit work, and I plan to find a position working for a nonprofit when I graduate.
– Andrea Hult, Augustana College
As an intern at the QCSO, I have had many valuable experiences and have learned what it entails to run a non-profit organization. I have learned that a symphony is much more than the musicians and the music, and that there are many people and jobs behind the scene that makes a symphony performance and season run smoothly. I have had a chance to work in various departments and on various projects within the symphony, such as the marketing and box office departments, and learned the different aspects and jobs of these departments. I loved my time here at the symphony and love the enthusiasm, encouragement, and confidence that the staff members have in my abilities and ideas.
– Darian Auge, St. Ambrose University
I have had such a great time interning with the QCSO this past year. Music has always been a passion of mine and being able to combine that passion with my interest in non-profit organizations is amazing. I have learned much about what it takes to keep a non-profit organization running as well as many details of running a box office. I know this internship will benefit me in my future endeavors and I am very thankful for having had this opportunity.
– Paige Phelps, Augustana College
