Employment Type: Permanent, Part-Time
Hours: 20 hours per week on average
Salary: $37,500 annually (extended health benefits, paid sick leave, and personal days included)
Working Conditions: Primarily remote, with on-site responsibilities in the Greater Toronto Area and occasional travel
Application deadline: Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Desired start date: Monday, November 2, 2026

Xenia Concerts is seeking a Director of Artistic Programming to provide artistic leadership for our Adaptive Concert series and related artistic initiatives.

This is an opportunity for an experienced arts professional to help shape the artistic future of a growing charitable organization working at the intersection of artistic excellence, accessibility, disability inclusion, and neuro-inclusion. The Director of Artistic Programming will lead artistic planning and curation, build relationships with exceptional artists and presenting partners, and help Xenia bring accessible and inclusive performing arts experiences to communities across Canada.

We are looking for someone who believes that accessibility and artistic excellence strengthen one another and who is excited by the opportunity to develop ambitious, culturally diverse, audience-centred programming in collaboration with artists, communities, and colleagues.

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About Xenia Concerts

Co-founded by members of the JUNO-nominated Cecilia String Quartet and now in its twelfth year, Xenia Concerts is a registered charity that works with neurodiversity and disability communities to design, produce, and present exceptional performing arts experiences for children, families, and others who face systemic and social barriers to inclusion.

Xenia is best known for its Adaptive Concerts, which welcome and support neurodivergent, Deaf, and disabled attendees, as well as others who benefit from inclusive and accessible concert environments. Featured artists have included acclaimed musicians and ensembles such as the Thalea String Quartet, Ladom Ensemble, WindSync, The Queer Songbook Orchestra, Mattmac, and ASD Band.

In addition to presenting Adaptive Concerts, Xenia works with partners across Canada to bring accessible performances to new communities; provide accessibility training, consulting, and workshops to artists and presenters; and co-create educational and artistic projects with neurodivergent and disabled artists and community members.

Xenia’s work is grounded in the belief that access to the arts is a human right. Values of the organization include:

• Enrichment – Xenia Concerts Inc. understands that music, the arts, and the opportunity to express oneself artistically improves the quality of life of all people.
• Inclusion – Xenia Concerts Inc. believes that all persons have the right to experience, create, and otherwise express themselves through artistic endeavours. 
• Excellence – Xenia Concerts Inc. creates and presents programs, concerts, and other artistic productions of high professional quality.
• Inspiration – Xenia Concerts Inc. seeks to inspire creators, artists, and audiences through arts experiences.
• Community – Xenia Concerts Inc. promotes and nurtures social development and creates community cohesion through accessible and inclusive artistic events.
• Sustainability – Xenia Concerts Inc. achieves its mission and vision through adherence to its values while always being fiscally responsible.

About the Position

The Director of Artistic Programming provides artistic leadership for Xenia Concerts’ Adaptive Concert series and related artistic initiatives.

Working in alignment with the organization’s artistic and strategic direction, the Director leads artistic planning, artist engagement, artistic partnerships, and inclusive program development. They will help ensure that Xenia’s programming reflects our commitments to artistic excellence, accessibility, cultural diversity, disability inclusion, and neuro-inclusion.

The Director serves as Xenia’s primary artistic contact for participating artists and presenters and will play a central role in shaping the organization’s artistic growth as Xenia expands both the number and geographic reach of its programs.

The Director of Artistic Programming reports to the Executive Director. 

Functional relationships include working closely with Xenia’s Accessibility Coordinator, who advises on accessibility-related aspects of artistic programming; and with the Managing Director to coordinate Xenia’s artistic activity with operational goals and processes.

Key Responsibilities

Artistic Leadership and Curation

• Lead artistic planning and curation for Xenia’s Adaptive Concert series in alignment with the organization’s artistic and strategic direction.
• Develop annual and multi-season programming plans.
• Identify artists, projects, artistic approaches, and programming opportunities that advance Xenia’s mission and organizational goals.
• Help guide the growth of Xenia’s programming from approximately 35–40 concerts annually to 45–50 concerts annually by 2030.

Artist Recruitment and Relationship Management

• Identify, recruit, and engage professional artists and ensembles.
• Serve as the primary artistic contact for participating artists.
• Lead artistic onboarding processes.
• Support artists as they develop performances for Xenia’s accessible and inclusive concert environments.
• Build long-term relationships with artists whose work and practices align with Xenia’s artistic vision and values.

Artistic Partnerships

• Develop and maintain relationships with presenters and artistic partners.
• Identify opportunities for artistic collaboration, co-presentation, and program growth.
• Support the continued expansion of Xenia’s presenting partnerships outside Ontario.

Equity and Inclusive Artistic Practice

• Advance Xenia’s commitment to accessible, culturally diverse, neuro-inclusive, and disability-inclusive artistic programming.
• Collaborate closely with the Accessibility Coordinator to identify and address accessibility considerations throughout artistic planning and program delivery.
• Cultivate relationships with artists from equity-deserving communities.
• Support meaningful participation and artistic leadership by disabled, D/deaf, and neurodivergent artists.
• Help ensure that Xenia’s programming reflects a broad range of artistic traditions, cultural perspectives, identities, and lived experiences.

Leadership and Organizational Development

• Participate in organizational planning and leadership discussions.
• Contribute artistic information and expertise to grant applications, reports, fundraising initiatives, and other organizational communications.
• Support artistic evaluation and long-term organizational planning.

Required Qualifications

We recognize that excellent candidates may arrive at this work through many different professional and lived experiences. We encourage applicants to consider the overall requirements of the position rather than assuming that they must have followed one particular career path.

The successful candidate will bring:

• Demonstrated experience in artistic programming, artistic administration, presenting, or a related leadership role within the performing arts.
• Strong knowledge of the Canadian performing arts landscape.
• Experience building and maintaining collaborative relationships with professional artists, ensembles, presenters, arts organizations, funders, and other sector partners.
• A demonstrated commitment to accessibility, disability inclusion, neuro-inclusion, equity, diversity, and culturally inclusive artistic practice.
• Experience working collaboratively with artists and communities from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences.
• Strong leadership, project-management, and organizational skills, including the ability to supervise staff and artists, manage multiple priorities, and work independently in a remote environment.
• Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to represent Xenia professionally and build productive relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Professional proficiency in spoken and written English.
• The ability to travel within the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario, and occasionally elsewhere in Canada.
• Availability for occasional evening and weekend concerts, events, and organizational activities.

Experience contributing to grant applications, reports, fundraising initiatives, or organizational planning is considered an asset.

Preferred Qualifications

The following experience and qualifications would be particularly valuable in this position:

• Lived experience of disability, Deafness, neurodivergence, or other equity-deserving identities, or demonstrated experience working alongside these communities.
• Established relationships within the Canadian performing arts sector, particularly among artists, presenters, and accessibility-focused organizations.
• Experience programming or presenting accessible, community-engaged, or audience-centred artistic work.
• Professional proficiency in French.
• A valid driver’s license and access to reliable transportation.

Compensation and Working Conditions

This is a permanent, part-time employee position averaging 20 hours per week.

The annual salary is $37,500, with extended health benefits, paid sick leave, and personal days.

The position is primarily remote, with attendance required at concerts, events, meetings, and organizational activities as needed. Preference will be given to candidates based in the Greater Toronto Area.

Xenia employees are responsible for maintaining a suitable home office for remote work.

Evening and weekend work will occasionally be required. Travel may be required within Ontario and elsewhere in Canada to support organizational activities, partnerships, and events. Approved business travel expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with organizational policies.

Equity and Accessibility

Xenia Concerts is committed to improving equity both within our organization and across the performing arts sector. We encourage applications from people from all equity-deserving communities, including, but not limited to, people who identify as neurodivergent, Deaf or disabled, Black, Indigenous, or people of colour. We recognize that both lived and learned experiences can contribute meaningfully to success in this role.

At all levels of the organization, Xenia Concerts promotes equal opportunity, fair treatment, and the identification and removal of barriers to participation and employment.

Xenia is also committed to making our recruitment and interview process as accessible as possible. Accommodations may include, but are not limited to:

• ASL interpretation;
• receiving interview questions in advance;
• closed captioning;
• adjustments to the pace or format of an interview; and
• other accommodations identified in consultation with the applicant.

Applicants may request accommodations directly through the application form or by contacting Kalyce Carter, Accessibility Coordinator, at kalyce.carter@xeniaconcerts.com.

Accommodation requests will not negatively affect an applicant’s candidacy.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted by Wednesday, September 30, 2026 using Xenia Concerts’ online application form:

Applicants are asked to submit:

• • A cover letter OR a one- to two-minute audio or video recording explaining why you are interested in the Director of Artistic Programming position and why you believe you would be a good fit for the role
  • A current CV
  • Two professional references

The desired start date for this position is Monday, November 2, 2026.

 

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