The Artistic Administration Intensive will introduce participants to the real-life opportunities and challenges that orchestra artistic administrators face today and highlight the creative, adaptive, and community-oriented skills that they need to nurture and support their creative workforce and build artistic capacity. The course will include open discussion and practical scenario exercises as well as time for individual reflection.

This program is geared to people new to artistic administration and those interested in deepening their skills in this critical area of orchestra leadership. Artistic administrators of smaller-budget orchestras and artistic planning staff of larger-budget orchestras are especially encouraged to apply, as well as those more broadly interested in pursuing a career that includes artistic administration.

By the end of the Intensive, participants will be able to:

• Demonstrate fundamental knowledge of artistic administration practices in orchestras
• Build strong relationships among internal and external stakeholders and staff teams
• Think holistically and creatively about the symbiosis between artistic planning, marketing, public relations, finance, development, and education
• Increase understanding and awareness of critical issues of community engagement and repertoire diversification
• Cultivate a network of peers, mentors, and resources for continued professional development

The Intensive will cover key functions of artistic administration at orchestras, including:

• Systems, processes and tools for artistic goals, planning, and budgeting
• Understanding relationships with music directors, conductors, orchestra musicians, guest artists, artist managers, composers, publishers, and community partners
• New concert formats and cross-genre projects
• Thematic programming
• Building diverse and inclusive programming

This Intensive will be led by:

• Martha Gilmer, President and CEO, San Diego Symphony
• Patrick Castillo, Vice President of Artistic Planning, New York Philharmonic

Additional guest faculty from the range of industry professionals will be announced later.

• Application fee: $65
• Program tuition: $1,500

Tuition covers 4 days of instruction and housing for 3 nights in New York City. Residency on site is required. Each participant will be responsible for covering their own costs of travel and most meals. Full and partial scholarships based on financial need are available.

Participants are expected to commit to all 4 days of the program and attend all sessions and associated events. Partial attendance is not permitted.

We will have a Zoom welcome for introductions on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, from 3:00-4:00pm Eastern. The program will begin at the League of American Orchestra’s offices in Manhattan with an opening reception on Monday, October 19 at 5:00pm and conclude on Thursday, October 22 at 11:30am.

Accommodation is provided in single-occupancy hotel rooms. Check-in is on Monday afternoon, October 19; check-out on Thursday, October 22.

Post-Intensive, participants will remain engaged through:

• Digital learning library of presentations and resources for future reference
• Instant messaging through class WhatsApp group
• Informal mentoring with faculty and staff
• Virtual re-convenings at 3 and 6 months
• League Alumni Network activities online and in person
• Invitations to alumni receptions at the National Conference and other League gatherings

Note: Applicants will be notified by Thursday, July 16, 2026. If accepted, a non-refundable tuition deposit of $500 will be due immediately. The tuition balance will be due by Tuesday, September 22, 2026.  

Application deadline: Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Up to 20 participants will be selected based on demonstrated experience, career potential, commitment to orchestra artistic administration, and motivation and goals for participating in this professional development program. The League especially invites applicants from backgrounds that have been historically underrepresented in the orchestral field. All program applicants will receive a one-year professional membership to the League.

Applicants must complete an online application with following requirements:

Please upload the materials below with your application. Text documents should be in PDF format. Applications that exceed the stated page/word/duration limits will not be considered.

1. Personal Written Statement (500 words maximum answering the below three questions)
   • Question #1: Why do you want to work with and support artistic planning?
   • Question #2: Share a life experience or perspective that has affected who you are today and how it shapes your desired impact on the orchestral field.
   • Question #3: How does this program fit into your career goals?
2. Resume (2 pages maximum)
3. Biography (up to 250 words)
4. Financial Aid (optional)
   • Scholarship monies are available for need-based tuition awards. Please submit your 2025 tax return (if not available, your 2024 tax return is acceptable). All information will be kept confidential.
5. Pay the non-refundable $65 application fee.
   • The cost for your first submission to one of our programs launching in 2026 is $65. If you have already applied for a program this year through Acceptd, each subsequent application to a second, third, or fourth program will be at no cost to you. You must use the following coupon code in order to negate the cost of your additional submissions: 02LEAGUE26. (The first character is a zero.) 

Only fully complete applications will be considered. All submitted materials become the confidential property of the League of American Orchestras and will not be returned. Applicants will be notified by Thursday, July 16, 2026. Please note that the application fee is non-refundable.

Martha Gilmer (she/her)
President and CEO, San Diego Symphony

Martha A. Gilmer has been a transformative leader in American orchestral life for more than 45 years. Since 2014, she has served as President and CEO of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, guiding the institution through a period of artistic growth, civic engagement, and strategic expansion.

Under her leadership and with the Board’s support, the Symphony appointed Rafael Payare as Music Director, opened the acclaimed Rady Shell at Jacobs Park on the San Diego waterfront, and completed a $125 million renovation of the historic Jacobs Music Center, which reopened in 2024. These projects—together representing more than $245 million in capital investment—have elevated the Symphony’s presence in San Diego and positioned it as a leader among American orchestras.

Gilmer is also a passionate advocate for accessibility and education. Through programs such as Music Connects and the High School Ambassadors, the Symphony reaches thousands of community members annually—bringing music to detention centers, military bases, hospitals, and underserved neighborhoods, and mentoring local students in arts leadership.

A champion of contemporary music and cultural exchange, Gilmer has engaged internationally renowned guest artists, commissioned new works by diverse composers, and played a founding role in the California Festival, a statewide celebration of new music centered on pressing global themes. Her efforts, along with the artistic ambitions of Rafael Payare and the Orchestra’s musicians, have helped place the San Diego Symphony “in the California orchestra vanguard,” according to the Los Angeles Times.

Recognizing San Diego’s unique proximity to the U.S./Mexico border, Gilmer has led cross-border initiatives that build cultural bridges, including performances and masterclasses in Tijuana and a landmark concert on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico Border.

Prior to her work in San Diego, Gilmer spent three decades at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where she served as Vice President for Artistic Planning and Audience Development and co-created the acclaimed Beyond the Score series.

She currently serves on the boards of the League of American Orchestras, San Diego Tourism Authority, Greater San Diego Chamber of Commerce, Solti Foundation, and the Mayor’s Civic Revitalization Committee.

A graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Music, Gilmer is a frequent speaker and writer on the power of music to transform lives and communities.

Patrick Castillo (he/him)
Vice President of Artistic Planning, New York Philharmonic

“Someone called Patrick Castillo” (Slipped Disc) leads a multifaceted career as a composer, performer, writer, and educator. His music has been described as “restrained and reflective but brimming with a variety of texture and sound that draws you into its world” (I Care If You Listen) and has been presented at festivals and venues throughout the United States and internationally, including Chamber Music Northwest, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Schubert Club, Spoleto Festival USA, National Sawdust, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Bavarian Academy of Music (Munich), the Nuremberg Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Havana Contemporary Music Festival. Patrick Castillo is founding composer and managing director of “forward-looking, expert ensemble” Third Sound (The New Yorker). From 2010 to 2013, he served as Senior Director of Artistic Planning of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; in 2021, he was appointed Vice President of Artistic Planning of the New York Philharmonic.