May 28, 2021 –- The Wichita Symphony announces that Arleigh McCormick, the Symphony’s Manager for Marketing and Public Relations, will leave her position in June. Carter Tholl will succeed McCormick with the new title of Manager for Marketing and Communications.

McCormick is moving with her family to Tucson, Arizona, where her husband, Kyle, will begin his medical residency in urology at the University of Arizona Hospital.

McCormick’s affiliation with the Symphony has been nearly uninterrupted for over twenty years since she joined the organization’s Youth Symphony as a 13-year old cello student in Derby, KS. As an undergraduate at Wichita State University, she won an audition in 2007 for the professional Wichita Symphony’s cello section and performed in the orchestra through the 2016 – 2017 season.

Following her graduation from WSU with a degree in Marketing and Business, she joined the Symphony’s staff in 2010 as a part-time Marketing Associate. Promoted to a full-time position in August 2012, McCormick has been the guiding force behind notable Symphony season campaigns such as “Are You Prepared” and “Better Together.” During the current pandemic impacted season, when health regulations put symphonic performances on hiatus, she quickly pivoted to digital platforms. She produced over twenty Zoom Recitals with WSO Concertmaster Holly Mulcahy, Facebook “Moments with the Maestro,” and other online content.

The Symphony’s CEO, Don Reinhold, commends Ms. McCormick for her contributions:

“Arleigh is the one who truly brought the Symphony’s marketing into the 21st Century leading the adoption of the Symphony’s ticketing system, implementing digital communications with email and Facebook, and creatively telling the Symphony’s story to the Wichita community. It has been a joy having her as a colleague and watching her grow as a consummate professional. She always brought a positive outlook, a knowledge of music, and a love for the Symphony to her work.”

As the Symphony says “farewell” to McCormick, it is also pleased to announce the hiring of Carter Tholl. Known to many music followers in the Wichita area as the Founder and Director of Wichita Baroque, Ms. Tholl brings a similar musical background to the Symphony. With early training as a violinist, Tholl graduated from Arizona State University with a music concentration in voice, studied for a year in Austria with the noted American soprano Barbara Bonney, and graduated with her Master’s in opera performance Wichita State in 2017, where she studied with Alan Held.

Ms. Tholl has been active in the Wichita area as a freelance singer and voice instructor at Butler Community College and other area schools. She has been a recipient of multiple Koch Artist Enabling Grants and was named “Artist of the Year” in 2021 by the Lindsborg Arts Council. An entrepreneur promoting Wichita Baroque and her career, Tholl produced a digital series of “Mural Music” that celebrates Wichita’s many murals during the COVID-10 pandemic.

Already working part-time for the Symphony, Ms. Tholl is developing the Symphony’s new digital program book and will continue to strengthen the WSO’s digital strategy. She will become full-time in mid-June following her participation in Music Theatre Wichita’s production of Mirette, in which she plays the role of Gaby the Ballerina.

CEO Reinhold comments, “Carter emerged from a very competitive group of applicants and a rigorous selection process by demonstrating knowledge and enthusiasm for music and a creative approach to digital content. I’m delighted to welcome her to the Wichita Symphony and look forward to working with her as the Symphony returns to action as the pandemic releases its grip.”
 

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