Please note we have scheduled a workshop for prospective and experienced floor captains for our upcoming Summer Pops Season. These meetings will be held at the Summer Pops site from 10:15 am until noon on June 19 and 20. If you would like to learn about these duties and brainstorm with our experienced staff to successfully deal with challenging scenarios, please attend one of these meetings. Please sign-up on the usher website and park adjacent to the site.
Summer Pops Floor Captain Workshop
May 24th, 2010Summer Pops Usher Scheduling Reminder
May 8th, 2010If you haven’t already done so, please add your name to Summer Pops concerts of interest (found via the “Waiting List” link on the usher website) so our team captains can gauge interest and begin assigning ushers! If you have schedule flexibility for concerts that are performed multiple nights, only sign up for your preferred date, unless you want to usher for the same concert two or more times. Some team captains are out of town, so if you haven’t been contacted by June 10, please contact me, George Kutchins, at gkutchins@sandiegosymphony.org.
End-of-Winter Season Usher Party
May 8th, 2010On Sunday, May 23 at 4:45 pm in the Revelle Room at Symphony Hall, we will be holding our annual end of season usher party. This will be a potluck event with the Symphony providing main dishes and drinks. Please bring a side dish of your choice. We’ll have a wonderful time of socializing and distributing prizes! Please sign up NO LATER than May 16th so we have an accurate count before we order the main dishes. Thanks!
Urgent Usher Plea for May 14 and 15!
May 8th, 2010May 14 and 15 (4:45 pm usher call time) – 8 ushers needed each day (please, please, pleeaaase help!!!)
At the First Presbyterian Church (320 Date Street in downtown San Diego) members of our own San Diego Symphony’s French Horn Section along with some of the world’s foremost horn players will hold a special one-hour concert in conjunction with the International Horn Society’s Convention in San Diego. Please wear the usual black and white usher attire (no jackets needed). Donna Bullock will be the on-site usher coordinator for this wonderful concert.
May 14 and 15 (6:30 pm usher call time) – 10 more ushers needed each day
Experience the largest San Diego Symphony orchestra ever to grace the stage of Symphony Hall for our upcoming Masterworks concerts. Two of the biggest works in the entire classical repertoire come to Symphony Hall! Richard Strauss’ An Alpine Symphony tells a harrowing story from Strauss’ mountain-climbing youth, and Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring changed the face of classical music forever with unorthodox rhythms, violent imagery, and unforgettable sonic landscapes.
Summer Pops Orientations
May 8th, 2010On June 19 and 20 (10 am – noon) at Summer Pops Site we will hold our usher orientations. We have many opportunities for new ushers this summer so please encourage friends to attend one of these two orientations held at the Pops site. Please arrive on time, dress appropriately ( bring sunscreen, hat, sunglasses, and pen), park adjacent to the Pops site at Embarcadero Marina Park South, and be ready to ask questions. Attendance at the orientation is critical for all new ushers as well as those who have ushered with us less than three summers.
We may also schedule Floor Captain orientations during this timeframe. Details will follow via a separate e-mail and/or website posting if you’d like to be trained and/or discuss how to handle real-life scenarios at the Pops site to effectively manage the ushers and maximize customer service.
Ushers Needed For World Permiere (4/16 and 18)
April 12th, 2010Two of our Symphony musicians created a chamber music organization called Art of Elan. They are doing a major production this weekend at Sherwood Auditorium at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla and are looking for 8 ushers for their Friday evening (4/16 – 6:30 pm usher call time) and Sunday matinee (4/18 – 12:30 pm usher call time) performances.
The performance is one hour long and is a world premiere featuring a chamber ensemble of San Diego Symphony musicians and dance company featuring music and choreography based upon “Alice in Wonderland.” Ushers are asked to wear black and white, bring a flashlight, and check in with Michelle Jimmink upon arrival who will provide the usher briefing.
Ushers Needed + New Usher Blog
January 10th, 2010This email covers upcoming shows where ushers are needed and an exciting new feature to the usher website, an usher blog. To sign up for any events listed below, please log into the usher website and sign up via the Sign Up or Waiting List link.
USHERS NEEDED
January 21 – Symphony 4th Grade Concerts (8:30 am usher call)
We are expecting 4,000 students for the next two days of Young Peoples Concerts on January 20 and 21. If you usher for these performances you are eligible to receive comp tickets to select Symphony concerts, parking reimbursement up to $10, and breakfast. Specifically, on Thursday, 1/21 we need another 10 ushers. Call time is 8:30 am. Please help.
January 21 – Corporate Roundtable Reception & Concert (5:00 pm usher call)
Also, in the late afternoon/early evening of Thursday, January 21 we are planning a new activity called a corporate roundtable to introduce corporations to experience the Symphony in an informal setting. About 5 ushers are needed to arrive by 5 pm (parking reimbursement will be provided) to welcome and help these small corporate groups who will have a reception in the lobby, followed by a mini-concert insider the chamber, and a concluding reception in the lobby before they depart.
February 6 – San Diego Youth Symphony (11:30 am and 5:30 pm usher calls)
Two different programs featuring members of the internationally renowned Youth Symphony will be presented on 2/6. This group has toured internationally to great success over the many years. Another 10 ushers are needed for each performance.
March 3 – Tegan and Sarah Quin (6:30 pm usher call)
These twins from Canada are fast rising on the music scene and have produced 6 albums despite only being 20 years of age. They have performed with many well-known artists including Neil Young, Ben Folds, etc. and at various festivals, such as Austin City Limits and Lilith Fair. About 50 ushers are needed for this concert.
NEW USHER BLOG
A new feature has been added to the usher website, an usher blog. The blog can be found as a link on the homepage before you sign in. It will primarily serve as a posting board and will be used to post special announcements, events where ushers are needed, cancellations, notices of new events, requests for usher input, etc. You can post comments on the usher blog, but please be aware of the public nature of the blog as well as the decorum of proper communication. At this point please do not post comments that would share your address, phone, or personal contact information as we want to maintain a safe environment. The site will be monitored. Inappropriate comments will be deleted and action taken, if needed.
The blog offers many benefits for communication instead of our constant dependence on e-mail messages. Please review Rick Lapp’s comments on the usher blog on why it is a benefit and how you can be alerted to changes to the blog page. Also, until we can resolve the issues of timely and accurate e-mail reminders with our web-hosting company, please continue to login and check your “My Account” page for your schedule and call times.
Receive Comp Tix…Help 1/21
January 9th, 2010Please usher 1/21 and receive comp tickets for select Symphony concerts! Our education outreach concerts to 4th graders requires 10-15 more ushers on 1/21. Call time is 8:30 am. Breakfast and parking reimbursement up to $10 is provided. The event should finish by 12:30 or 1 pm each day. Please sign-up on the usher website if interested!!!
January 15 Silent Film Cancelled
January 9th, 2010This is to inform you that the Friday, January 15 silent film performance of “The General” at Symphony Hall has been cancelled. Please take this off your usher list.
Ushers Needed for 12/11,17…
December 23rd, 2009At Symphony Hall we still need ushers for concerts on 12/11, 17, 19 (Matinee), and 20 (evening). Please sign up directly on the usher website for these and other concerts/events of interest. Holiday accessories are welcome for all Symphony Holiday Pops concerts.