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.

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.

The 2026 Artistic Administration Intensivecohort is comprised of professionals working in orchestra artistic management, seeking to strengthen or advance their careers. Participants include:

Dunia Andreu, Manager of Music Education, Jacksonville Symphony
Kaylene Beal, Director of Orchestra Operations, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Katie Brill, Associate Artistic Administrator, Aspen Music Festival and School
Sandy Choi, Executive Director, New Orchestra of Washington, and General Manager, Experiential Orchestra
Emily Dobmeier, Executive Director, Lake Placid Sinfonietta
Indigo Fischer, Vice President of Artistic Planning, Music Academy of the West
Connor Gibbs, Concert Operations Manager, South Dakota Symphony Orchestra
Ava Janes, Artistic Administrator and Concert Operations Manager, Waco Symphony Orchestra
Liz Kane, Director of Artistic Operations, Portland Symphony Orchestra (ME)
Theresa Lansberry, Manager of Artistic Planning and Artist Servicing, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Eun Lee, Manager, Orchestral Programming, Los Angeles Philharmonic
Renata Lima, Artistic Projects Manager, São Paulo State Symphony Orchestra
Liam McBane, Manager, Artistic Operations and Assistant to the Music and Artistic Director, San Diego Symphony
Brittany Moat, Executive Director and General Manager, Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra
Meredith Morse, Artistic Administrator, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Amelia Rogocka, Director of Artistic Operations, Greenville Symphony Orchestra
Daphne te Boekhorst, Artistic Planning Assistant, San Francisco Symphony
Mia Thompson, Artist Services Coordinator, Primo Artists
Ana Vashakmadze, Artistic Administrator, National Symphony Orchestra
Veronica White, Artistic Operations Coordinator, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra