The San Diego Symphony’s very own President and CEO, Martha Gilmer is San Diego Business Journal’s 2026 Business Women of the Year Lifetime Achievement Awardee. 

Gilmer is being recognized for a lifetime of transformative leadership in American orchestral life. She has led the Symphony since 2014, but she has spent more than 45 years in the field.  

The Journal praised her work at the Symphony saying she’s led the organization “through a period of extraordinary artistic growth, civic engagement and expansion.” 

Gilmer has guided major advancement and projects that have positioned the Symphony as a cornerstone of the community and artistic leader. She appointed Rafael Payare as Music Director, guided the opening of The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, and oversaw the renovation of the historic Jacobs Music Center. 

The development of The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park in collaboration with the Port of San Diego has been lauded as a major civic and cultural achievement, draws in record-breaking audiences, and has become a prominent San Diego landmark.

The recently renovated Jacobs Music Center both honors the historic building and features leading-edge technology, providing remarkable acoustics for the Symphony’s recording of Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7, Leningrad, which has gained international critical acclaim.

Throughout her tenure, she has championed programs that expand access to music and build cultural bridges, through programs such as Music Connects, which aims to bring live music to those who may not otherwise experience it, and most recently launching the Beyond Borders: North American Music Initiative. The new initiative strengthens the Symphony’s ties to our neighbors in Tijuana and, looking North, to our partners in Montréal.

Gilmer has earned a long list of accolades, earlier this year, she was honored with Musical America’s 2026 Impresario of the Year. Prior to that, Gilmer was selected as a 2024 Cool Women honoree by the Girl Scouts of San Diego, awarded the 2022 Moving San Diego Forward Award from the Regional Chamber of Commerce, and was included in Musical America’s Top 30 Professionals of the Year in 2021. 

"I am honored to be presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the San Diego Business Journal. I have spent over four decades in service to the world of symphonic music. I am proud of the work we have done to create beautiful, iconic, and transformative listening spaces here in San Diego to provide experiences for so many in our community. I am also very proud of the work we do in many other spaces in neighborhoods, hospitals, care facilities, re-entry facilities, and in Northern Baja California. All this work is created because of the support from philanthropic individuals, foundations, corporations, and the meticulous work of musicians, administration, and volunteers. Our city, its residents and visitors, and the entire San Diego /Baja California region are made better because of these individuals.  I share this award with all who make possible the music that changes lives," said Gilmer. 

Gilmer will be honored by SDBJ on December 2nd. 

Congratulations, Martha Gilmer!