Volunteering Opportunities

The National Centre for Early Music (NCEM) is always recruiting new volunteers to help deliver our world-class music programme and early music festivals.

Volunteering at the NCEM is a great way to give back to the community, use and develop new skills, increase your employability, all whilst meeting new people, having fun and enjoying some fantastic music!

The NCEM is a charitable organisation and is managed by a small team of staff. We therefore rely on enthusiastic and hardworking volunteers of all ages, interests and backgrounds to generously give their time to help us make our events and festivals possible.

Gain experience and go behind the scenes and support the NCEM by becoming a…  

Festival Production Volunteer

Interested in a career in arts management and administration? Would you like to learn how to stage manage concerts and look after some of the world’s greatest early musicians? Then join our production team for one of our annual early music festivals. The York Early Music Christmas Festival takes place in early December, the Beverley & East Riding Early Music Festival runs across the last weekend in May, and we showcase the York Early Music Festival in early July.

You would be required to commit full time for the duration of the Festival. In return we will be able to offer a small contribution towards expenses, future job references and of course the opportunity to get behind the scenes and experience events for free!

The role is demanding but extremely rewarding. You will work as a team to set up for rehearsals/performances at the NCEM and in external venues, liaise with performers and artists, undertake back-stage performance management and more!

Volunteer Steward

Stewards provide the front-of-house operation for all our performances at the NCEM and external venues during our annual early music festivals. As the public face of the NCEM, stewards are entrusted with the responsibility to deliver exceptional customer services. We are looking for friendly and helpful individuals to welcome guests and check tickets, as well as being responsible for evacuating venues in an emergency under the direction of the Front of House/Duty Manager. 

Experience of customer service/stewarding and knowledge of Health & Safety and First Aid procedures is desirable, but training will be given.

How to apply: 

For more information or to ask questions about the roles, please contact Dr Christopher Roberts, Operations Manager on 01904 632220 or email events@ncem.co.uk.

Please submit a CV and covering letter or a video/audio recording explaining how you meet the personal specification, including relevant experience and details of two referees.  Please complete the equal opportunities monitoring form on application (voluntary).  Applications can be sent by email to events@ncem.co.uk or by post to National Centre for Early Music, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York, YO1 9TL. 

We welcome applications from those who are under-represented in the sector, including but not limited to those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, deaf and disabled people, and candidates from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse communities. For full details of the NCEM’s accessibility please read www.ncem.co.uk/accessibility/.

If your application is shortlisted we would invite you to an interview at the NCEM to meet you and discuss your skills.