Artistic Director – Northern Lights Festival Boreal
Closes September 8, 2025, at 4:00 PM
NLFB is a non-profit, charitable music presenter in Northern Ontario which has been in existence for over 50 years. The organization provides valuable exposure and career development opportunities for emerging artists, while also presenting highly acclaimed artists, and keeping the region on the map for acclaimed touring acts. The festival presents a strong component of francophone, Indigenous, and other multicultural content each year, in line with regional population demographics and the diverse cultural makeup of the Canadian population. The majority of NLFB’s operations center on the annual summer festival; however, the organization also presents numerous other cultural events, concerts, and more throughout the year.
NLFB has an opening for a motivated, self-directed person to fill the Artistic Director position. The position reports to the Board of Directors. This is a year-round part-time job.
Compensation is commensurate with experience.
The Position
The Artistic Director (AD) is responsible for the overall artistic direction and development of the festival’s musical performances, as well as one-off concerts and events such as Bloom, our festival in March. Working in close partnership with the board of directors, Executive Director, the Festival Artistic committee, and the Festival Organizing Committee, the AD will continue to develop and oversee the festival’s programing, scope and scale of the festival as well as its distinctive reputation and regional audience impact consistent with the aims, objectives and strategic plan of the festival within expenditure budgets agreed by the Board. Constant communication with the Board Members and other NLFB associates is essential.
Key Responsibilities:
Deliver a program that captures the imagination and engages a broad cross-section of audiences, while showcasing cutting-edge artistic work which is vital to NLFB’s position, exemplifying the highest level of cultural credibility.
Maintain a current, globally informed view of the industry; participate in industry association events as approved; monitor market trends; possess and constantly update critical knowledge of emerging artists and the competitive landscape.
Work with internal and external stakeholders to establish new festival program initiatives, deriving the strongest possible curated musical program by skillful investing of the festival’s resources.
Primary Responsibilities
The AD will exercise their demonstrated experience in programming, generating a creative lineup and schedule which leads to critical acclaim for the festival while strengthening audience trust, attracting and engaging a diverse audience of all ages.
The AD will drive the growth of artistic programming and program development by hiring 40-50 artists, ensuring that the festival maintains the highest level of artistic quality. The AD will understand and have a strong commitment to program development, which will reflect a diversity of artists (including Francophone, Indigenous, BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, established/emerging, international) and genres within a broad definition of ‘folk music’. Many of our grants’ requirements specify a specific venue.
Essential Responsibilities
Coordinate all aspects of artistic hiring, programming and scheduling for four (4) on-site stages and two (2) off-site venues. This will include two evening stages as well as the daytime stages and two (2) downtown venues.
Negotiate contracts with agents, managers and individual artists, managing the financial implications of contracts (deposits, payouts, auditors, etc.) in cooperation with the NLFB Executive Director.
Manage all pre-contract communication with artists. The AD will also be the first point of contact with artists and/or their management team(s) during and post-festival, responding to all artist-related issues. Riders will be approved following guidelines approved by the Executive Director, Board Chair and Technical Director.
Consulting with the technical director when negotiating artists’ technical requests and before signing off on technical riders is essential to identify what the festival can realistically provide cost-effectively.
Organizing accommodations and meal requirements for all performing artists.
Skills and Qualifications
- Culturally aligned with NLFB’s values of creative excellence, innovation, social and community responsibility, and financial and environmental sustainability.
- Minimum five years of multi-disciplinary arts and leadership experience, including international experience, preferably at a multi-arts festival or presenting organization.
- A high-energy visionary with business savvy, drive and dedication to outstanding programming and audience engagement; the proven ability to bring creative thinking to a wide range of tasks.
- Experienced in critical judgement and a compelling artistic vision, including elements with broad-ranging audience appeal.
- Demonstrated experience in planning, organizing, and directing the artistic aspects of production and presentation techniques across multiple genres and outdoor locations.
- Understanding of current production issues and relevant trends across multiple streams of arts and creativity.
- Ability to deal confidently, sensitively and effectively with local and international artists at all levels.
- High-level communication skills, orally and in writing, at all levels – within the professional cultural community and also as a persuasive and effective advocate for cultural programming with a wide range of different stakeholder communities.
- Demonstrated ability to work productively with a volunteer Board of Directors with diverse backgrounds.
- A sophisticated, strategic belief in the identity and core mission of Northern Lights Festival Boreal.
- Demonstrated negotiation and problem-solving skills.
Interested applicants are invited to submit a resume in confidence by September 8, 2025, at 4:00 PM to:
Human Resources NLFB: jobs@nlfb.ca
We thank all applicants who apply and advise that only those to be interviewed will be contacted.
