Ravinia is both North America’s longest-running music festival and its most artistically diverse. Over 100 different events by a mix of classical, rock, pop, jazz, R&B, indie, and country performers make up a typical summer season on our two open-air and two indoor stages. Each year the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is featured in six weeks of concerts, many with Chief Conductor Marin Alsop. During the same summer months, the Ravinia Steans Music Institute provides young professional classical and jazz musicians with career-advancing training and concert settings. 

Offstage and year-round, Ravinia’s Reach Teach Play education programs engage 75,000 children and adults—in schools with little to no music curriculum, in our Chicagoland communities, and at our 36-acre park—in our mission to make music equitably accessible to all.

A signature Reach Teach Play program, Sistema Ravinia emphasizes community building and musical excellence. Exceptional orchestral training for 3rd–8th grade students fosters social development and creates pathways for continued success. The Assistant Site Manager is a key member of the administrative team and is responsible for  implementing student and program logistics Sistema Ravinia. The ideal candidate demonstrates extraordinary organizational skills, a make-it-work mentality and is a clear and approachable communicator. This is a full-time, salaried position with benefits.  This position reports to the Austin Nucleo Site Manager.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Manage daily program logistics and spaces

• Assist with program communication to students and parents

• Manage student rosters and attendance records 

• Manage student enrollment process

• Maintain updated student and program information

• Manage logistics for events and meetings

• Manage busing logistics and needs

• Maintain the inventory of supplies, music, instruments and repairs 

• Oversee programming when the Site Manager is not present 

• Assist with student assessments implementation 

• Coordinate instructor recruitment and application process

Knowledge and Skills Required

• Superior interpersonal skills needed to collaborate with educators, parents and students from diverse backgrounds

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 

• Highly organized with great attention to detail, with the ability to initiate, prioritize and manage multiple tasks

• Ability to use the Google platform and to learn new programs

• Access to reliable transportation to travel between program sites and events

• Ability to speak Spanish a plus

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or 2-3 years related work experience 

• Experience in music education and arts administration with experience working with an El Sistema inspired program 

• Knowledge of and enthusiasm for the El Sistema music education model

Application Deadline: April 15, 2022

Work Environment

• Working daily in the Austin Community at Catalyst Circle Rock (5608 W. Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL 60053) and GR Clark (1045 S Monitor Ave, Chicago, IL 60644)

• Occasional meetings at Ravinia and off-site events

• Availability to work occasional weekends and evenings for concerts and special events

• Interaction with young students, parents and administrators where the safety of the students is paramount

• Collaborative work environment where decision making regarding artistic and pedagogic direction comes from Sistema Ravinia administrators, conductors, instructors, and students

About the Program: 

We envision a world where every child has access to music through high-quality music learning and performance and can see themselves in the world’s best orchestras.  Sistema Ravinia is an after school orchestral music education program that fosters youth empowerment and social development through exceptional ensemble training for students in three nucleos (Austin, Lawndale, Lake County) across Chicagoland. The Sistema Ravinia Austin Nucleo welcomes students at two schools – Catalyst Circle Rock and GR Clark – throughout the school year and summer.   Shaped by the philosophy of the noted El Sistema model, Ravinia has embraced the notion of transforming groups of children into communities of musicians who in turn transform their communities.  Students receive mentorship from teachers and administrators that make them feel loved and valued as an asset to their nucleo community.  

Sistema Ravinia launched in 2012 and Circle Rock was the first school to join the initiative.  In 2019, the Sistema Ravinia Austin Nucleo expanded to add GR Clark.  Students from Circle Rock focus on band instruments and students from GR Clark learn string instruments.  Students meet at their individual schools two to three days per week and join together at Circle Rock to rehearse as a full symphony orchestra.  Circle Rock recently completed their state of the art Kehrein Center for the Arts which will serve as the home for the Sistema Ravinia Austin nucleo orchestras.  

Ravinia is an Equal Opportunity Employer

As an equal opportunity employer, Ravinia strongly believes that diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives is essential to our success and we strive to create and sustain an equitable and inclusive environment for all our employees. Ravinia does not discriminate on the basis of any protected status under federal, state, or local law. We encourage individuals of all identities and abilities to apply.