Collaborative Pianist

Collaborative Pianist

Whitman College

• Compensation: $41.20 hourly

Located in the historic community of Walla Walla, Whitman College’s vibrant, tree‑lined campus is home to an intellectually diverse, dynamic, welcoming, and supportive community of some 500 staff and faculty serving approximately 1,500 students from the local region and across the globe. Whitman College is recognized for academic excellence and continues to build its national reputation as one of the top liberal arts colleges in the country.

Whitman encourages applicants who bring historically under‑represented perspectives. Whitman College is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer (EEO).

The Staff Collaborative Pianist plays a vital role within the Music Department, supporting and enhancing students’ musical development. The Collaborative Pianist accompanies students in lessons and/or ensembles, and coaches those students between lessons. Performances may include choral ensemble concerts, student recitals, opera workshops, and occasional composition concerts.

Work scheduling is the duty of the Director of Collaborative Piano and may include evenings and weekends. This position offers variable hours, up to 500 for the academic year (August – May).

• Attend and play piano for applied lessons as scheduled, collaborating with students in the presence of their primary instructors in ways that affirm and adapt to diverse musical backgrounds and learning styles.
• Accompany weekly studio classes.
• Collaborate with Chorale and Chamber Singers at rehearsals and performances.
• Collaborate with Opera & Music Theater Workshop rehearsals and performances.
• Prepare collaborative piano parts in a timely and professional manner, appropriate to the technical difficulty of the repertoire.

• Ensure a supportive environment that recognizes the varied preparation needs of each performer.
• Attend additional rehearsals when needed, providing interpretive and stylistic coaching in preparation for performances and assessments.
• Collaborate with students during performances, student assessments and juries, including when regular student collaborators are not available for juries.
• Collaborate with prospective students during scholarship auditions, if needed.
• Travel and perform with students for competitions and conferences, as needed.

• Excellent piano skills, including sight‑reading and score‑reading.
• Excellent collaborative/accompanying skills.
• Excellent performing skills.
• Ability to positively contribute to the College’s core values of diversity, equity, inclusion, antiracism, and access.
• Ability to work in close cooperation with faculty and students.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team to meet scheduling and performance demands.