From Young Ambassador to Duty Manager: Erin’s Story

We are dedicated to enriching the lives of young people in our communities, through our programme of events, our creative engagement workshops, outreach work, volunteering and work experience opportunities.

As part of the Music Hall reopening in 2018, we created the Young Ambassadors programme which invited a small group of young people to be a vital part of the venue regeneration. The Young Ambassadors coordinated projects that helped raise awareness among young people of how important the venue is to the city and beyond. These young people were given the opportunity to turn the key and open the door for the first time in two and a half years to let the people of Aberdeen see the restored Music Hall.

Almost five years later, we caught up with one of the Young Ambassadors, Erin Chalmers, who has gone on to be part of the Front of House team here at Aberdeen Performing Arts. Let’s find out what these opportunities meant to her…

How did you get involved with the Young Ambassadors Scheme?

I got involved with the Young Ambassadors scheme after my grandma heard about it while working for Aberdeen Performing Arts. She thought it would be something I would enjoy and encouraged me to sign up.

What did it mean to you and what opportunities did it open for you?

The scheme means a lot to me, going into the experience I had no idea what opportunities I would get from it and didn’t even know I would be the one to open the doors when the Music Hall reopened. It meant a lot to be the one who had the key and opened the door along with Jason on the day and getting that opportunity is something I will always be grateful for.

This opportunity allowed me to get involved with Aberdeen Performing Arts at a young age and learn so many things about the company. In the lead-up to the Music Hall re-opening we were given the opportunity to speak to different staff members across all departments and learn about how the company was run from all perspectives. Speaking with different staff and being able to be so involved on the opening day at the Music Hall ultimately led to me getting a job as a Front Of House  usher and I started working for Aberdeen Performing Arts a few weeks after the Music Hall reopened.

How did the experience shape your future plans and what you do now?

I am now a Duty Manager for Front Of House, which means I run the shows across all three Aberdeen Performing Arts venues from a Front Of House perspective. I am mainly responsible for Front Of House, but also communicating with bars, box office and backstage during the shows to ensure the shows run smoothly and customers have the best experience while in our venues. Without being a Young Ambassador I don’t think I would have this job now. Working Front Of House allowed me to not only build my skills and knowledge within the company, but also my confidence which allowed me to push myself to become a Duty Manager.

How important are opportunities like this for young people in Aberdeen?

I believe opportunities like these are very important for young people in Aberdeen. They provide them with insights and experiences within organisations like Aberdeen Performing Arts, which can create an interest in the Arts for young people. There aren’t many opportunities like the Young Ambassador scheme in Aberdeen and I feel it’s important other young people get opportunities as we did. The Music Hall Young Ambassadors scheme was an opportunity like no other and I am extremely grateful for the opportunities I have had since then.