Music Department
Torrey Pines High School
Our Program
The music program at Torrey Pines High School provides a rich and rewarding environment for its students to develop their skills and excel as musicians. Our ensembles win top awards at local and regional festivals year after year. Many of our graduates have gone on to study music at prestigious music schools including New England Conservatory of Music, Berklee College of Music, Manhattan School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Cleveland Institute of Music, USC Thornton School of Music, Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University.
We offer five instrumental ensembles, all under the baton of Amy Gelb: Band (Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble), Jazz Band, Orchestra (Intermediate Orchestra and Advanced Orchestra), Choir (Choir and Advanced Choir), and Guitar. The Music Department puts on four concerts each year, in addition to numerous other performance opportunities.
Music students also can participate in several extracurricular performance groups such as Jazz Combos, Pit Orchestra for our Theater Department's yearly Musical, and Chamber Groups. Other extracurricular activities include Symphony Club, Appassionata Club, and Back to Bach.
Orchestra and Band compete at the SCSBOA festival in March, and these ensembles often earn a trip to Regionals. The Jazz Band performs at the Irvine Jazz Festival every year. Every other year the Jazz Band travels to New Orleans to attend the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.
The goal of the TPHS music program is to allow students to advance as far as they desire in the field of music by providing a rich and challenging curriculum, a collaborative environment for exploration and integration among the various visual and performing art disciplines, and a welcoming and supportive TPHS music family.
The current music program at Torrey Pines started in 1999 with one band of 35 students. From its modest beginnings it has developed into an outstanding, award-winning program.
Our new Performing Arts Center and music classroom were completed in 2019 and provide state-of-the-art spaces for rehearsing and performing.