Overview

OVERVIEW

Kronos Performing Arts Association (KPAA), the non-profit organization of San Francisco’s world-renowned Kronos Quartet, seeks a dynamic, highly organized, and detail-oriented arts professional to serve as its Administrative Manager. This position will report to the Managing Director and will work closely with all members of the Quartet and KPAA staff, helping to support the professional, artistic, and administrative endeavors of the organization. They are responsible for ensuring the smooth functioning of the KPAA office and other facilities, helping to maintain a productive and rewarding work environment, and supporting high levels of organizational effectiveness, communication, and safety.

THE ORGANIZATION

MISSION

Kronos exists to create, perform, and promote music from a global perspective that responds to the world we share and expands the understanding of music’s role as a powerful force in society.

The cornerstone of our mission is the unique, live performance voice of the string quartet—the coming together in conversation of distinct but integrated voices. It is from this artistic foundation that we explore, extend, and enhance the musical experience for artists, audiences, and global communities.

We achieve our mission as a nonprofit organization through a wide variety of programmatic initiatives, including commissioning, performing, presenting, recording, publishing, archiving, teaching, mentoring, and encouraging the next generations of artists and audiences.

VISION

Kronos envisions a world that celebrates and perpetuates the musical voices of all people and cultures, primarily through the medium of live performances that seek to advance education, social justice, and personal enrichment.

KRONOS HISTORY: FIFTY YEARS OF INNOVATION

For the past half century, the Kronos Quartet has reimagined what the string quartet experience can be. One of the most celebrated and influential groups of our era, Kronos has given thousands of concerts worldwide, released more than 70 recordings, and collaborated with many of the world’s most accomplished composers and performers across many genres. Through its nonprofit organization, Kronos Performing Arts Association (KPAA), Kronos has commissioned more than 1,100 works and arrangements for Quartet. Kronos has received more than 40 awards, including the Polar Music, Avery Fisher, and Edison Klassiek Oeuvre Prizes.

Integral to Kronos’ work is a series of long-running commissioning collaborations with hundreds of composers worldwide, including Terry Riley, Aleksandra Vrebalov, Tanya Tagaq, Philip Glass, inti figgis-vizueta, Fodé Lassana Diabaté, and Steve Reich. In its most ambitious commissioning effort to date, KPAA has recently completed Kronos Fifty for the Future. Through this initiative, Kronos has commissioned—and distributed online for free—50 new string quartet works written by composers from around the world.

In recordings, Kronos has collaborated with artists including Wu Man, Zakir Hussain, Asha Bhosle, Mahsa Vahdat, and Tom Waits. Kronos has performed live with the likes of Paul McCartney, Allen Ginsberg, Rokia Traoré, David Bowie, Rhiannon Giddens, Caetano Veloso, and The National, among many others.

The Quartet tours regularly each year and has appeared in many of the world’s most celebrated venues, including Carnegie Hall (New York), Palacio de Bellas Artes (Mexico City), the Barbican (London), the Muziekgebouw (Amsterdam), Shanghai Concert Hall, Suntory Hall (Tokyo), and the Sydney Opera House.

Kronos’ expansive discography on Nonesuch includes three Grammy-winning albums—Terry Riley’s Sun Rings (2019), Landfall with Laurie Anderson (2018), and Alban Berg’s Lyric Suite (2003)—along with dozens of other acclaimed releases. Kronos’ work has also featured prominently in many films, including the “live documentary” A Thousand Thoughts, written and directed by Sam Green and Joe Bini, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018.

In April of this year, Kronos received three tremendous honors from the Library of Congress: the Library acquired the Kronos Archive, comprising annotated scores and manuscripts, instruments, photographs, business documents, and more to add to its famed collections; the pioneering 1992 Kronos album Pieces of Africa was added to the National Recording Registry of audio treasures; and Kronos founder and violinist David Harrington was named to the Library’s Kluge Chair in Modern Culture.

Based in San Francisco, the nonprofit KPAA staff supports all aspects of Kronos’ work, including commissioning, concert tours and local performances, recordings, education programs, and the production of large-scale artistic projects, including an annual Kronos Festival in San Francisco.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

The Kronos Quartet and KPAA are now at a major inflection point in their shared, half-century history. Two of the Quartet’s longtime members—violinist John Sherba and violist Hank Dutt, both Kronos veterans of 45+ years—have recently retired. This October, KPAA Executive Director and Kronos Quartet Manager Janet Cowperthwaite, a 43-year staff member, will step down from her position, to be succeeded by a (currently open) Managing Director position.

Many organizations of Kronos’ stature and longevity might consider such changes daunting. Kronos views them as transformational—both the new and continuing members of the Quartet, as well as the staff of KPAA, are eager to tackle the opportunities and challenges presented by this new chapter in Kronos’ ever-evolving story.

The Quartet has filled its open positions with two exceptionally talented and accomplished new members who will debut publicly with ongoing members David Harrington and cellist Paul Wiancko this fall: violinist Gabriela Díaz, the concertmaster of the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), a member of the International Contemporary Ensemble and A Far Cry, the co–artistic director of the chamber music and outreach organization Winsor Music, and a faculty member at Wellesley College and the Longy School of Music at Bard College; and violist Ayane Kozasa, a founding member of the award-winning Aizuri Quartet, a winner of the Primrose International Viola Competition, and a member of the viola faculty of the University of Cincinnati College–Conservatory of Music who has also served as guest faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Northwestern University.

In addition to the creation of the new Managing Director and Administrative Manager positions, KPAA has streamlined its staffing (from six positions to four) and is renewing Kronos’ foundational commitment to activism to a level that is equal to and inseparable from its music-making. To effectively manage this time of transition, KPAA has halved its operating budget for FY25, to approximately $1.5 million. Following an initial period of onboarding and updated strategic planning, KPAA intends to embark on a new and sustained period of institutional and programmatic growth in keeping with its mission, new artistic opportunities, and the ongoing societal need for activism and engagement in the arts.

THE POSITION

As related above, the Administrative Manager will join KPAA at one of the most significant points in its long history. They will have the rare opportunity to build upon the achievements and reputation of an organization with a storied fifty-year history while realizing an instant impact on an enterprise with the restless creativity and passion of a start-up.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities of the Administrative Manager fall into four main categories, as noted below. Specific duties include but are not limited to the following:

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT FOR STAFF AND ARTISTS (35%)

  • Manage artist and staff calendars
  • Assist in maintaining and tracking task lists for artists and staff
  • Assist artists and staff in managing and responding to email
  • Draft emails, letters, recommendations, and other written documents
  • Schedule meetings, video conferences, and phone calls
  • Prepare agendas and supporting materials for meetings and events
  • Research and procure administrative services and office supplies as needed
  • Conduct research related to artistic projects

ARTIST SERVICES FOR KRONOS PERFORMANCES AND ANNUAL KRONOS FESTIVAL (20%)

  • Distribute scores, parts, and recordings in digital or physical formats to artists
  • Contribute to planning and booking of travel itineraries
  • Schedule interviews with members of the media
  • Assist in acquiring approvals of recordings from Quartet members
  • Send marketing and promotional materials to the media and concert presenters
  • Send content for printed and/or digital programs to concert presenters

OFFICE ADMINISTRATION (35%)

  • Monitor, manage, and respond to general office communications such as phone calls, voicemails, and email sent to general inboxes
  • Manage USPS mailings and packages sent by couriers (e.g., FedEx, UPS)
  • Monitor inventory of office supplies and order replacements as necessary
  • Oversee maintenance of all office equipment (copier, mail station, phone system, etc.)
  • Monitor and maintain the physical condition of the office suite and arrange repairs as necessary
  • Address employee queries regarding office management issues
  • Greet and provide general support to visitors
  • Manage inventory of Kronos collateral, including CD/DVDs and promotional materials
  • Maintain on-site archive of printed Kronos concert programs
  • Proof read business communications, contracts, and other written documents
  • Assist in planning and implementing events and activities as requested
  • Manage the work of volunteers and/or interns when needed

IT SUPPORT (10%)

  • Oversee KPAA’s IT support vendor in addressing all office technology needs
  • Serve as first line of trouble-shooting support for all IT issues
  • Maintain an inventory of computing and handheld equipment
  • Purchase/replace/upgrade servers, desktop computers, laptops, cell phones, etc. for staff and artists per KPAA policies, as needed, in consultation with Business Manager and Managing Director

QUALIFICATIONS & PERSONAL QUALITIES

The successful candidate will be a seasoned arts professional who demonstrates a profound commitment to the spirit of the KPAA mission and vision and shares the organization’s core values—including a belief in music as a fundamental expression of humanity, with the ability to engage both mind and spirit and foster change in the world. They will also possess the following qualifications and personal qualities (note: items with an asterisk are required; all other items are desired):

  • 3-5 years of work experience in a nonprofit organization*
  • Bachelor’s or Associate’s degree in a relevant field
  • Superior organizational, managerial, and communications skills*
  • Dedication to the highest level of confidentiality, discretion, ethics, tact, and diplomacy in all interactions, along with a commitment to adhering to all laws and best practices of nonprofit management*
  • Exemplary personal character, balancing seriousness about KPAA’s work with an open and friendly demeanor and senses of both humor and humility*
  • Firm commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access in all KPAA relations, both internal and external (see “Diversity & Equal Employment Opportunity” below)*
  • Proficiency in common suites of business tools in a nonprofit arts setting, including Mac OS, Microsoft Office, and Google Workspace or equivalent productivity software*
  • Some experience with additional business tools, such as scheduling, photo editing, and graphic design software
  • Some experience in supervising consultants and other contractors (e.g., IT support contractors, temporary office admin staff)
  • Interest/background in a wide range of musical styles and other areas of the performing arts
  • Eligibility to work in the United States of America*
  • Ability to work primarily at the KPAA administrative offices at 1242 Ninth Avenue in San Francisco (see next item for exceptions), including some evenings and weekends as needed*
  • Willingness to undertake occasional regional, national, and/or international business travel

DIVERSITY & EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

KPAA strives for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in its staffing and work culture. We welcome and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, reflecting the rich diversity of the San Francisco Bay Area.

KPAA is committed to the principle of Equal Employment Opportunity for all employees and job applicants and to providing our employees with a work environment of mutual respect, free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at KPAA are based on business needs, position requirements, and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, national or ethnic origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability status, HIV status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, marital/civil union/domestic partnership status, family medical history or genetic information, family or parental status, political viewpoint or affiliation, military or veteran status, citizenship status when otherwise legally able to work, or any other status protected by applicable law. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, KPAA will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, KPAA will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.