Current Openings:

Job Title: Keyboard Artist II

Position Summary: The Keyboard Artist II will provide piano music in a wide variety of styles in support of Sunday worship services per month and occasionally other special worship services. The ideal candidate will be a creative, well-rounded, collaborative musician who can play hymns and choose and play appropriate music for preludes, offertories, and postludes according to the theme of the service.

For more information about Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship please go to http://buf.org.

Start Date: September 1, 2025 or soon thereafter
Status: Non-exempt, part-time (Two to three Sunday services per month)
Compensation: $191 for each Sunday service or other special event.

Responsibilities:

• Assist in the selection of Sunday Service Music, including Gathering Music, Prelude and Offertory as needed.
• Accompany hymn singing and other service music as needed. (Typically, two to three Sundays a month)
• Accompany soloists and other performing groups during Sunday Service as needed.
• Consult with worship planners to coordinate service music as arranged.

Keyboard Abilities and Skills Required:

• Excellent piano skills as determined by audition.
• Keyboardist must be able to sightread proficiently, learn music quickly, and perform solos and collaborative music at a professional level.
• Ability to work well with the eclectic musical and theological perspectives in our congregation; ability to play a variety of musical styles.
• Ability to work collaboratively with minister, music director and other staff and volunteers.

Other Preferred Qualifications:

• Willingness to be an occasional substitute for Keyboard Artist I when needed.
• Ability to accompany choirs during Wednesday rehearsal and Sunday services, when needed.
• Ability to read lead sheets and improvise is useful.

Expectations:

• Respect for Unitarian Universalist principles and the Covenant of the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship.
• A working knowledge, or willingness to gain knowledge, of the Unitarian Universalist Hymnal.

Job Title: Taizé Keyboard Artist

Position Purpose: To ensure quality music programming for the Taizé service, which is the first Monday of every month at 7 p.m.

Description of Taizé Services: This is a quiet hour in candlelight, with singing, meditation, and poetry readings. The songs are typically short and repeated many times so the pianist and singers can harmonize and create variations together. Pianist will be playing for most of the hour.

Start Date: September 22, 2025 or soon thereafter. First Taizé service will be October 6, 2025.
Status: Non-exempt, part-time (One Monday evening per month)
Compensation: $191 for each Taizé service.

Responsibilities:

• Accompany all songs, as selected by Taizé service planners.
• Improvise background and transitional music as needed.
• Play solo prelude and postlude music.
• Transcribe new short songs from audio to lead sheet format.

Abilities and Skills Required:

• Sensitive piano skills, as determined by audition, for the gentle mood of the Taizé services.
• Ability to work collaboratively with leadership and volunteers.
• Ability to work well with the eclectic musical and theological perspectives in our congregation.
• Ability to read lead sheets.
• Ability to improvise solos and multiple variations from lead sheets.

Expectations:

• Respect for Unitarian Universalist principles and the Covenant of the Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship.
• A working knowledge, or willingness to gain knowledge, of the Unitarian Universalist Hymnal.

How to Apply:

The applicant can apply for both the Keyboard Artist II position and the Taizé Keyboard Artist
position or just apply for one of these positions.

To apply, please send the following items to pianist@buf.org.

• A cover letter explaining your motivation to apply, interest in the position(s) and relevant skills and experience.
• Resume
• Two professional references
• Digital file or link to performance recording (optional)

We will be conducting interviews/auditions and hope to have our new Keyboard Artist(s) selected by early September.