Job Title: Concert Director

Department: Concerts 

Reports to: Senior Director of Strategic Programs

Effective Date: April 14, 2025

Classification: Full-time Exempt

Compensation: $68,000-$85,000 annually (with Medical, Dental, Vacation, and Sick Time accrual)

About Swallow Hill:

Founded in 1979, Swallow Hill Music is a Denver-based nonprofit dedicated to enriching lives and building community through music. As a 501(c)(3) and SCFD Tier II organization with a $6 million annual budget, Swallow Hill operates a nationally recognized music school and leads a wide range of community outreach programs and music education initiatives throughout the Denver metro area. In addition to its educational mission, Swallow Hill presents hundreds of concerts each year. Its home campus at Broadway & Yale features three distinct performance venues—Daniels Hall, Tuft Theatre, and Quinlan Café—that regularly host both local and nationally touring artists across a variety of genres.

Swallow Hill Music is also the producing partner for concerts at some of Colorado’s most iconic cultural venues, including Denver Botanic Gardens, Four Mile Historic Park, the Butterfly Pavilion, the Clyfford Still Museum, and select indoor music venues across the region. A cornerstone of both the local and national music scenes, Swallow Hill is a trusted presenter of nationally touring artists and Colorado-based talent alike, curating exceptional live music experiences that span genres, audiences, and generations. The organization’s impact has been recognized with the Mayor’s and Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts, as well as honors from the Colorado Music Hall of Fame and Folk Alliance International’s Business Lifetime Achievement Award—affirming its role as a nationally celebrated hub for concerts, music education, and community connection.

Job Summary: 

The Concert Director is a key leadership role reporting to the Senior Director of Strategic Programs (SDSP), responsible for overseeing all facets of Swallow Hill’s concert programming. This includes curating and executing a dynamic, mission-aligned concert program that features both nationally touring and local artists. The role blends strategic vision with hands-on execution to meet programmatic, financial, and audience development goals. The Concert Director leads departmental budgeting, staff management, and cross-functional collaboration with teams across production, marketing, development, and education. A successful candidate will bring deep knowledge of the live music landscape, work closely with the SDSP to cultivate meaningful artist and venue partnerships, and help position Swallow Hill as a leading presenter in Colorado’s concert scene.

Supervisory Responsibilities: 

• Recruits, interviews, hires, and trains new Concert staff. 
• Oversees the daily workflow of the department. 
• Provides constructive and timely performance evaluations. 
• Handles discipline and termination of employees in accordance with company policy.

Duties/Responsibilities: 

• Responsible for ensuring effective coordination and execution of all concert department activities including production, booking/talent buying, financials, administrative work, and team management.
• Develop and manage the Concert Department budget, meeting revenue and expense goals. 
• Articulate and implement the creative vision for the concert department, along with team members, that align with organizational goals and ensure long- term sustainability. 
• Develop, in collaboration with the SDSP, short- and long- term Department goals, strategies, and recommendations for changes to, or the creation of, new concert programs and partnerships. 
• Responsible for effectively communicating and implementing organizational and departmental vision, goals, and strategy to concert team staff. 
• Collaborate with School, Outreach, and PXT Directors to identify cross departmental programming opportunities 
• Work with Development, School and Outreach Departments to leverage connections with artists to create value add propositions for the organization as a whole. 
• Collaborate with the Marketing Department to maximize impact of materials and messaging
• Monitor offers and contract execution; ensure contractual/deposit timelines are met; develop and/or manage MOUs for partners.  
• Identify, collect and analyze concert and booking partnership data relevant to evaluate the value relative to mission and profitability. 
• Ensure appropriate staffing, mentoring and provide professional development opportunities for staff.
• Supervise Concert staff and vendors as needed. 
• Collaborate with supervisees on the development of individual goals that align with larger department and organizational goals. 
• Provide reports to the SDSP regarding Concert Department strategies, tactics and the achievement of goals; 
• Attend onsite concerts several times a month and most outdoor shows in the summer. Serve as a House Manager for onsite shows when needed. 
• Support a patron-centric culture.
• Other duties as assigned. 

Qualifications & Experience: 

• Minimum of five to seven years in concert industry with a strong technical understanding of booking, talent buying, concert production and event management; some festival production experience would be beneficial.   
• Understanding of  business principals around nonprofit organizations, for profit promoters, and the intersection of both models
• Deep understanding of programming, venue, and concert trends both nationally and locally in Denver
• Knowledge of ticketing and box office operations as well as experience working with ticketing solutions
• Understanding of event and venue marketing fundamentals, trends, and best practices
• Experience negotiating and managing contracts with partner organizations
• Successful track record booking and executing concerts 

Required Skills: 

• Values diversity and contributes to an inclusive working and learning environment.
• Understands and values data as a tool for strategic decision making.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. 
• Excellent time management skills with a proven ability to meet deadlines.
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills. 
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail. 
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills. 
• Strong supervisory and leadership skills. 
• High level of fiscal management skills. 
• Ability to prioritize tasks and delegate them when appropriate. 
• Ability to function well in a high-paced and at times stressful environment. 
• Ability to navigate complex relationships, anticipating where challenges may arise and addressing them proactively. 
• Proficient with booking tools such as Celebrity Access and Pollstar. 
• Proficient in Google Workspace; and ability to learn required business systems. 
• Experience with Salesforce preferred. 
• Experience with ticketing platforms such as Eventbrite, Ticketure, Elevent, etc. 
• Comfortable utilizing remote meeting & video conferencing technology such as Google Meet & Zoom. 

Physical Requirements: 

• This position requires walking, bending, reaching, and standing for long periods of time. 
• Must be able to lift and carry items weighing up to 50 pounds. 
• This position also requires hearing to accurately understand information at normal spoken word levels in a potentially loud environment and visual observation for reviewing, checking, preparing, and maintaining written and computer files. 
• Manual dexterity to operate standard office, data entry, and other related facility and production equipment is required.
• Ability to flex schedule to work a combination of days, evenings, and weekends. 

We will make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with known disabilities or whose service requirements interfere with a religious belief, unless doing so would result in undue hardship or a direct threat to SHM.  Please contact human resources at 303.777.1003 to request accommodation, or for questions/concerns regarding this policy.

Other Duties

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

EEO Statement

Swallow Hill provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Swallow Hill complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities.

Research shows that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every qualification. Our hiring process values various lived experiences. If you’re excited about this role, we encourage you to apply even if your background or experience doesn’t perfectly align with the job description.

To apply for this position, please send a cover letter, resume, and references to leahgalvin@swallowhillmusic.org. No phone calls, please.