Collaborative Pianist Lecturer (Vocal Music)

The Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki (Uniarts Helsinki) is hiring 

A Collaborative Pianist Lecturer (Vocal Music)

This position is valid until further notice starting on 1 August 2026. The position may be full-time or part-time (50–100%), depending on the overall teaching needs. The percentage will be agreed in the beginning of the employment with the lecturer.

Working environment

You will work in the Department of Vocal Music in Helsinki. The staff structure of our department is currently 2 professors, 11 lecturers, 3 university arts teachers as well as numerous part-time teachers and visitors. The department has three study programmes: Vocal Arts, Opera, and Opera Coaching and Collaborative Piano, and there are currently c. 50 majoring Vocal Arts or Opera students and 1-2 Opera and Collaborative Piano students.

You can find more information about the department on the Uniarts Helsinki website. On our website you can also familiarize yourself with the following:

• Uniarts Helsinki’s vision, mission and values
• Uniarts Helsinki’s Code of conduct
• Uniarts Helsinki as a responsible employer    

Job description   

Your key tasks include:

• coaching vocal students in all genres of classical vocal music (including Opera, Lied, Oratorio and other vocal repertoire) through 1:1 tuition
• performing vocal music with students in masterclasses, concerts and degree examinations at all levels
• working as a pianist for Vocal Music entrance examinations
• taking responsibility for the pedagogical development of vocal coaching as a core part of students’ education and curriculum

The aim of the teaching is to comprehensively develop the students’ musical and technical skills and to support their professional and artistic growth. Your work also includes guiding students in matters related to employment and postgraduate study opportunities in the music profession.

The main focus of your teaching is on bachelor's and master's level education. In addition to students majoring in Vocal Music, you will also coach voice students from other departments. Your work may also include teaching at the Junior Academy, and occasional work as a pianist at the examination concerts of doctoral students.

In addition, you will actively participate in planning, organising and developing vocal music education and related artistic activities within the department. Actively following your own field, the department's working groups and projects, the assessment of study attainments, participation in student recruitment and student admissions, duties related to curriculum planning, and cooperation with other departments and degree programmes are part of your job description. You will also participate in other development and quality work as well as in the work of Uniarts Helsinki's administrative bodies.

You will work closely with the Head of Department, professors and other staff members, actively contributing to the development and ethos of the department. You will be an active member in the whole Academy and broader University communities. Carrying out the assigned tasks will require, in general, working weekly with students.

The position requires you to work in Helsinki for the duration of the employment relationship, and the post-holder is therefore required to live in or relocate to Finland.

Competence requirements and selection criteria

To be selected for the position of Lecturer at Uniarts Helsinki, the applicant is required to have a master's degree or equivalent artistic merits, versatile teaching skills, experience in the utilisation of artistic activities and/or research in teaching, as well as pedagogical studies or pedagogical experience demonstrated in some other way. In addition, strong merits of activities in the field of art and/or research, experience in domestic or international cooperation, and societal influence are required.

In addition to the above, the specific key selection criteria for this Lecturer position are:

• a master's degree in music or equivalent applicable master’s degree
• in-depth artistic expertise as a vocal pianist with exceptional technical, musical, and collaborative skills
• solid and extensive performance experience, especially in collaboration with singers
• a strong knowledge of vocal music and a mastery of a wide range of repertoires and styles
• excellent pedagogical skills
• university-level teaching experience
• a track record of planning, organising, implementing and developing education and artistic activities
• an interest in developing activities together with other teachers and students 
• an ability to think innovatively about the development of vocal curriculums and the wider education field
• phonetic knowledge of the most common languages of the classical vocal music repertoire
• an ability to guide and support a diverse community of students in their studies and in their transition to working life
• excellent cooperation and interpersonal skills and an ability to create a positive atmosphere in teaching and teamwork situations

In addition, we consider the following to be an advantage:

• pedagogical studies
• a suitable doctoral degree
• international activities and cooperation
• a track record of expert tasks and positions of trust in the professional field requiring collaboration and organisational skills
• wider knowledge and understanding of the cultural contexts of classical vocal music
• knowledge or interest in the culture of Finnish vocal repertoire

Instruction language skills

The languages of instruction at Uniarts Helsinki are Finnish, Swedish and English. Vocal music is mainly taught in Finnish and English. Vocal Music training is mainly provided in Finnish and English. Applicants must have a good command of the languages of instruction. International applicants are only required to be proficient in English. Language skills are assessed in relation to the work tasks. Domestic applicants are also required to have at least satisfactory knowledge of the second national language. Uniarts Helsinki staff are committed to the university's language policy, which emphasizes multilingualism.

Working hours and salary

In full-time Lecturer positions, the total annual working hours are 1,612, which includes 452 hours of contact teaching. The salary for the position is determined in accordance with the salary system of Finnish universities. The task-specific salary component is on levels 5–6. In addition, a salary component based on personal performance is paid. At the beginning of the employment relationship, the monthly gross salary in a full-time position is approximately € 3,600–€ 4,400, depending on the person’s experience and skills.

Applying

Please submit your application no later than 20 November 2025 at 23:59 (UTC +2) via Uniarts Helsinki’s electronic recruitment system. The following attachments must be attached to the application in English in PDF form:

1. A letter of motivation (max. two A4 pages)
2. A resumé/curriculum vitae
3. A teaching portfolio (general tips for compiling a teaching portfolio can be found by following this link)
4. A document with accessible links to two artistic performances with a singer (only YouTube or Vimeo links will be accepted. Links should be ‘unlisted’ or ‘public’, and the date of performance should be clearly indicated).

Based on the applications, we will call the strongest applicants for the evaluation event (including short artistic performances, teaching demonstrations, and interviews) which will be held on 29 January 2026 in Helsinki, at the Töölö campus of Uniarts Helsinki. All applicants will be notified of their admission to the next round in mid-December 2025.

The position may include teaching underage Junior Academy students. A criminal record extract must be presented to Uniarts before a contract of employment can be signed for the job in question. The Act on Checking the Criminal Background of Persons Working with Children (504/2002) obliges Uniarts to ask persons working with people under 18 years of age to present an extract from their criminal record (when the employment lasts longer than three months).

Enquiries

• Regarding the content of the position and recruitment process: the Head of Department Tero Valtonen, tel. +358 50 336 4919
• Regarding the recruitment process and system: HR/Anne Kilpeläinen, tel. +358 50 348 4539
• Our email addresses are in the form: firstname.surname@uniarts.fi