Manager of Audience Development and Engagement

Position Description

The Manager of Audience Development & Engagement is a dynamic, dual-purpose role designed to expand the festival’s reach, deepen community roots, and drive earned revenue. This position balances grass-roots community building with data-driven audience development.

The ideal candidate will cultivate authentic relationships with community partners, manage inclusive free ticket access programs, and execute aggressive group sales and marketing strategies to build a diverse, sustainable audience for the world’s premier piano festival. This position will report to the Director of Marketing and work closely with the Associate Director of Patron Services.

About The Gilmore

The mission of The Gilmore is to nurture and celebrate a passion for piano music.

The Irving S. Gilmore International Piano Festival (The Gilmore) promotes and develops world-class musical experiences through its Gilmore Artist Awards; Larry J. Bell Jazz Awards; an annual music festival featuring the most accomplished international pianists; outstanding piano education programs and the commissioning of new music for the piano.

Job Description

Audience Development & Marketing Strategy

• Analyze audience demographic data and ticketing trends to identify gaps in retention and opportunities for new acquisition.
• Design and implement targeted marketing campaigns tailored to specific cultural, demographic, or geographic segments.
• Work closely with the marketing team to produce compelling, accessible digital and print collateral that resonates with first-time attendees.

Group Sales & Revenue Generation

• Mobilize a comprehensive group sales strategy targeting seniors, students, corporate groups, music clubs, and civic organizations.
• Work with regional tourist organizations and tour group operators to coordinate experiences like Tulip Festival/Gilmore at the same time.
• Meet or exceed annual revenue targets for group ticket sales through strategic direct outreach, lead generation, and relationship management.

Access Programs & Community Ticketing

• Manage free ticket programs and community access initiatives, ensuring underrepresented and structurally marginalized communities have pathways to attend.
• Manage the distribution logistics of complimentary and subsidized tickets, tracking distribution metrics and feedback to evaluate program impact.
• Manage the distribution of posters/marketing materials throughout the community.
• Collaborate with the education department to align community ticketing with student and youth outreach initiatives.

Community Engagement & Strategic Collaborations

• Build and sustain partnerships with local cultural, educational, civic, and social organizations to integrate the festival into the broader community fabric.
• Co-create collaborative events in non-traditional spaces to make piano music accessible to new audiences.
• Serve as an ambassador for the festival at community events, network meetings, and cultural coalitions.

Qualifications & Skills

• Experience: 3–5 years of experience in arts administration, community engagement, audience development, or group sales (experience within a music or festival environment is highly preferred).
• Relationship Builder: Exceptional interpersonal skills with a proven track record of building authentic relationships across diverse cultural and economic communities.
• Sales Acumen: Strong sales mindset with comfort in cold-calling, pitching, and negotiating group contracts.
• Data Literacy: Familiarity with CRM or ticketing systems (e.g., Tessitura, Spektrix, Salesforce, PatronManager) to track sales, manage contact lists, and analyze audience behavior.
• Communication: Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to speak passionately about the power of music.
• Flexibility: Ability to work evenings, weekends, and long hours during the peak festival season.
• Language: Fluency in multiple languages is a plus!

If you are concerned that you don’t meet all of the qualifications, but are passionate about the position, please apply anyway. The Gilmore is committed to building an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible workplace–so if you’re excited about this opportunity, we hope you’ll consider submitting your application.

Salary Information – or – Pay Range and Hourly Requirements

This position is a full time, salaried position, and pay range is commensurate with experience and skill; between $50,000 — $58,000.

The Gilmore also offers a competitive compensation package, including health insurance with employee contribution, life insurance, 401k plan with up to 4% match, paid vacation, holidays and sick leave.