FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Joe Bolenbaugh, Winston-Salem Symphony
336.725.1035
jbolenbaugh@wssymphony.org
Winston-Salem Symphony Announces the Appointment of Mandy Vollrath as Vice President, Chief Philanthropy Officer
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (February 25, 2025)
The Winston-Salem Symphony is delighted to announce the appointment of Ms. Mandy Vollrath as its new Vice President, Chief Philanthropy Officer effective April 1, 2025. Ms. Vollrath was selected from a pool of fifteen applicants, seven semifinalists, and three finalists following a national search led by Aspen Leadership Group and an internal search committee that included Board and staff leadership.
Ms. Vollrath comes to the Winston-Salem Symphony from the Charlotte Symphony (NC) where she served as Director of Corporate & Institutional Relations and was responsible for securing annual contributed revenue of $2.5 million from institutional funders, and where she assisted with the management of corporate, foundation, and government grants and contracts for endowment funds totaling over $25 million.
She served previously as a non-profit consultant to the Asheville Symphony Orchestra, the Blue Ridge Orchestra, and Bounty & Soul (a regional food bank) during the pandemic years, as Development Director for LEAF Global Arts (Asheville, NC), and as Corporate & Foundation Relations Manager for the North Carolina Symphony (Raleigh, NC) where she was a member of a two-person team that raised $1.3-$1.5 million annually from corporations and foundations, managing a portfolio of over thirty corporate sponsors, and where she wrote, secured, and managed grants from over sixty private and public foundations across North Carolina for music education programs and innovative concert programming.
Ms. Vollrath has a Certificate in Non-profit Management from Duke University, and a Bachelor of Science in Music Industry Studies with a minor in General Business from Appalachian State University (Boone, NC) where she presently serves as a guest lecturer. Additionally, she is a professionally trained singer who is passionately dedicated to the importance and impact of the arts, with a special interest in preserving and promoting art forms that are culturally relevant to North Carolina.
Of Ms. Vollrath’s appointment, President & CEO Merritt Vale said, “In the non-profit world, no positions are more challenging to fill than those of outstanding fundraisers. We are grateful to our partners at Aspen Leadership Group for delivering an excellent applicant pool of highly qualified professionals, and even more grateful that Mandy Vollrath was among them. Mandy has demonstrated success as a fundraiser, understands the strategic importance of philanthropy to the future of the Winston-Salem Symphony, has a thorough understanding of the opportunities and challenges faced by our industry, and an unwavering belief in the importance of the Winston-Salem Symphony’s many-faceted mission. She has the vision and tenacity to be an outstanding philanthropic leader, and we are delighted to welcome her to the Winston-Salem Symphony team.”
Co-Chair of the Winston-Salem Symphony Board’s Philanthropy Committee and of the Chief Philanthropy Officer Search Committee, Dr. Derek Hicks, added, “I have enjoyed getting to know Mandy throughout the search process. What struck me most is her passion for the arts in North Carolina, her deep desire to contribute to the growth of the Winston Salem Symphony, and her adherence to her grandfather’s brand of humble leadership. As an artist herself, Mandy’s passion for connecting people with the transformative power of music can be truly inspiring. We stand to benefit greatly from these qualities in this important next phase of our symphony’s life. I see Mandy as a vital decision maker at the table.”
About the Winston-Salem Symphony
Proud to be one of the Southeast’s most highly regarded regional orchestras, the Winston-Salem Symphony premiered in 1947. Today, under the direction of Music Director Michelle Merrill, the Symphony fulfills its mission to “Bring Music to Life” by inspiring listeners of all ages throughout North Carolina’s Piedmont Triad with various concerts, education programs, and community engagement initiatives each year. Visit wssymphony.org for more information.
The Winston-Salem Symphony is supported by leadership partners, Season Presenting Sponsor Bell, Davis & Pitt, P.A.; Chris & Mike Morykwas; the Montgomery/Tucker Charitable Trust; the Arts Council of Winston-Salem Forsyth County; the North Carolina Arts Council; and additional generous concert, educational, and event sponsors.
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