Jobs at River City Brass Band

Mission Statement: The mission of River City Brass is to entertain, engage, and educate audiences of all ages by sharing American musical culture in the Pittsburgh region, nationally and internationally.

Key Facts:

The Band, founded in 1981, has 28 members. At that time it was the first professional concert band to be established in the United States in more than 25 years.

The Band has toured nationally and internationally and produced 17 commercial recordings, most of which are available worldwide, and appeared on NBC’s Today and NPR’s Performance Today.

Strategic Plan Goals for Upcoming Year:

Artistic Excellence: introduce new and more diverse repertoire to appeal to broader audiences and partner with guest artists and composers t commission original works.

Community Engagement & Outreach: expand educational programs in local schools and increase community performances.

Audience Development & Marketing: Strengthen social media and outreach & engagement to reach new audiences and retain loyal patrons.

Financial Stability: Increase individual donor contributions through enhanced fundraising strategies and explore new sponsorships and grant opportunities for artistic and educational initiatives.

Communities’ Served: Southwestern Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania and other states.

Community & Organizational Impact:

Annual Concert Series: The series has 6 concerts each performed in the 5 venues of:

·      Linton Middle School in Penn Hills

·      Carson Middle School in McCandless Township

·      Palace Theatre in Greensburg

·      Bethel Park High School

·      Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland.

Each year approximately 16,000 to 17,000 area residents attend these concerts.

Contracted Performances: Also, each year we have approximately 30 performances contracted by organizations in Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh region, other locations in Pennsylvania and in other states.

Approximately 40,000 people attend these concerts annually.

Student Programs: We have two annual student programs.

The Student Education & Ticket Program: Educational sessions about brass band music occur in middle and high schools. Students attending these sessions are offered a free ticket to attend one of our annual concerts.

Each year 10 school education sessions serve 2,800 to 3,000 students and typically 1,500 students enjoy free tickets to one of our annual concerts.

The School of Brass: The school is an extracurricular brass, percussion and woodwinds music program the operates during the school year on Saturday mornings in the Penn Hills High School. This program serves students in grades K-12 through a MiniKids initiative, junior brass band and a youth brass band. 

Annual enrollment in the school is 85 to90 students. The program has adverse student body.

The School does not turn any student away. There is no audition process and students who cannot afford tuition and or instruments are given scholarships and provided with a loaned instrument.

Volunteer Opportunities: River City Brass has a cadre of volunteers that assist us at our annual concerts with tasks including selling raffle tickets and handing out program booklets and ushering and assisting us with mailing requests out twice a year (end-of-season and end-of-year) for individual contributions.

Board Opportunities: Currently the Board has a goal to recruit several new members.

Timeline: The Board wishes to achieve its goal to increase its membership over the next several months. Currently there are 14 members.

Process: TALI alumni who would like to apply can submit a request with a resume to Matt Cuomo, Governance Committee Chair at mcuomo@vbaplans.com.

Key Board Details:

Committee Structure: The Board has Executive, Finance, Governance, Marketing, and Annual Gala Committees.

Board Terms:  Three years which can be renewed.

Skill Sets Being Sought:

·      Strategic decision making

·      Analytical – gathering, evaluating and pertinent information

·      Adaptability to new strategies

·      Business expertise

·      Networking – professional contacts

·      Governance

·      Information Technology