High School Ambassadors Summer Program at The Rady Shell

It’s summertime again in San Diego! For many high school students that means beach days and summer vacation, for others it’s a time of learning and growth. Every summer at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, the San Diego Symphony hosts high school students from all over San Diego County for the High School Ambassadors program. For three weeks, these students are provided with meaningful hands-on training and skill building experiences in the performing arts field that help to create college and career readiness.  Some of the highlights of the paid internship style program are assisting with ushering at summer performances, connecting with arts industry professionals and growing their talent alongside other young leaders in the community. It’s summer school, summer camp, and a summer job all rolled into one!  

There are two cohorts in the High School Ambassadors program, three weeks each, with one starting in June and  the other in July. Members of the San Diego Symphony Marketing team were recently able to catch up with some of the  students from this summer’s first cohort, who were half-way through their program. Here’s what they had to say:  

While working as an usher for a nearly sold-out 4th of July weekend show of The Beach Boys, one student shared,  

“I love the atmosphere of the crowd here at The Beach Boys performance. It’s great to be able to meet so many different people!” -Cristian C.  

During a Q&A session with San Diego Symphony staff guest speakers another student shared, 

“Thank you so much for coming out here to talk to us today about your jobs at The San Diego Symphony. I’m interested in majoring in communications or management, and this really clicked with me.” -Elianna P. 

The High School Ambassadors program is part of the broad commitment by the San Diego Symphony to engage with the community it serves and to add to its cultural and civic enrichment. It’s also an opportunity to share the transformative power of classical music with the young minds of today.  

Applications for this year’s cohorts are currently closed, but if you know any talented young individuals who might be interested or who might benefit from leadership and professional development opportunities in the future, you can find more information at www.sandiegosymphony.org.