PRESS RELEASE

San Diego Symphony Reaches its
“The Future Is Hear”
Campaign Goal of $125 Million

With a $1 million Anchor Grant from Bank of America and robust community support, the Symphony officially reaches its goal

San Diego, CA (October 27, 2022) – The San Diego Symphony announces that it has reached its goal for “The Future is Hear” $125 million Campaign. In 2020 “The Future Is?Hear” was announced as a campaign to support the?organization’s wide-ranging artistic and community programs, including construction of the extraordinary state-of-the art, year-round venue The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. The campaign also encompasses improvement of the infrastructure of Copley Symphony Hall at the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Music Center, stabilization funding to provide critical support during the Covid-closure, and wide-ranging artistic initiatives for San Diego’s diverse communities.

In the beginning stages of “The Future is Hear” campaign several notable San Diego Philanthropists contributed major donations, including Ernest and Evelyn Rady who gave the lead gift of $15 million to support the construction of The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park and later an additional $5 million which totals $20 million to the campaign, Joan and Irwin Jacobs gave $11 million in support of the outdoor venue in addition to other significant leadership gifts to support various aspects of the comprehensive campaign, The Conrad?Prebys?Foundation made a $15 million contribution with $12.5 million in support of the outdoor venue, and the Una Davis Family provided a $10 million gift to insure the project’s early success.

"It is truly a milestone in the history of the San Diego Symphony to reach our goal for this campaign which has been an inspiration to over 3,000 donors,” said San Diego Symphony CEO Martha Gilmer. “For me, it has been incredibly moving to witness the joy it has brought to so many to be a part of this historic campaign. Each and every gift is meaningful, and I believe has been given with a desire to make an impact on the future of our city and our orchestra. I am filled with gratitude for the generosity of so many who have believed in our dream and made it a reality."

Following these heroic lead gifts, the campaign entered its public phase, which saw supporters come from both near and far with gifts ranging from $1 to $20 million, all helping the Symphony to reach their $125 million goal.  Gifts over $2.5 million include Dianne Bashor, Dan and Phyllis Epstein, and the State of California.

The enormous amount of community support of “The Future is Hear” campaign is a true testament to what the Symphony set out to do when building The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. The venue, which can be seen as the priority of this campaign’s mission, represents an $85 million philanthropic investment within the $125 million campaign. Since its opening in August of 2021, the Symphony has seen an outpouring of support from the orchestral and San Diego communities. And as its second Conrad Prebys Rady Shell Summer Season reaches completion, the Symphony reports that it saw record ticket sales, breaking all previously held summer season records the Symphony has and firmly cementing its reputation as a top performing arts venue in Southern California.

In addition to its public support of the campaign, the Symphony is honored to be a recipient of a Bank of America Anchor Grant, receiving a $1 million in support towards its “The Future is Hear” campaign. This award represents the largest donation Bank of America has ever given to an organization in San Diego and will bring the campaign officially to its goal.  

“The arts matter – both as an important economic driver and a vital cultural bridge for our communities. That is why Bank of America was proud to make our largest philanthropic investment in San Diego ever with the San Diego Symphony and the Rady Shell as a new world class, iconic outdoor entertainment draw for the region,” said Rick Bregman, president, Bank of America San Diego. “The new performance venue elevates the status of our city on par with global art attractions.” 

San Diego Symphony CEO Martha Gilmer noted "It has been an honor to receive this Anchor Grant from Bank of America which allowed us to achieve the campaign goal of $125 million. The consideration and rigor of the grant process makes it even more meaningful. We are truly grateful to have been chosen for this national recognition and I know how much pride our San Diego Bank of America team has to have made this possible!"

For those who wish to support The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, there are many ways in which members of the community can do so.  Contributions from $10,000 and above have been listed on the Donor Appreciation Wall at the venue and large contributions received recognition at various locations at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park, including benches, speaker towers, wall tiles and more. For more information on how you can continue to fund The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park initiatives, please email campaign@sandiegosymphony.org.

ABOUT THE SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Founded in 1910, the San Diego Symphony is the oldest orchestra in California and one of the largest and most significant cultural organizations in San Diego. The Orchestra performs for more than 250,000 people each season, offering a wide variety of programming at its two much-loved venues, Copley Symphony Hall at Jacobs Music Center in downtown San Diego (now under renovation) and The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park on San Diego Bay. In early 2018, the San Diego Symphony announced the appointment of Rafael Payare as music director. Payare leads the orchestra’s 82 full-time musicians, graduates of the finest and most celebrated music schools in the United States and abroad. The San Diego Symphony also serves as the orchestra for the San Diego Opera each season, as well as performing at several regional performing arts and community centers. For more than 30 years, the San Diego Symphony has provided comprehensive learning and community engagement programs reaching more than 65,000 students annually and bringing innovative programming to San Diego’s diverse neighborhoods and schools. For more information, visit www.sandiegosymphony.org.