David Whitehill, former executive of the Reading (Pa.) Symphony Orchestra, has been named executive director of the Manchester Music Festival, effective Feb. 24. Whitehill will be responsible for the administrative leadership of the organization, which presents a five-week summer chamber music festival and operates the Young Artists Program.
“We are all thrilled about David’s appointment as our new executive director,” said Alison Denis Longley, chair of the MMF board of directors. “With his extensive background in music and leadership, he is poised to help us lead MMF into the future.”
An award-winning arts and culture leader with more than 20 years of experience from Maine to California, Whitehill has shaped his leadership roles with a passion for arts education and community engagement. In addition to his position in Pennsylvania, he has led the symphony orchestras in Asheville, North Carolina, and Bangor, Maine. He has also served as president and CEO of ArtsinStark, a united arts fund and countywide arts council in Canton, Ohio, and as arts administrator at the Laguna Beach Music Festival in California.
While in Maine, Whitehill was honored by the Portland Press Herald as one of the state's 40 Top Young Business and Community Leaders. In 2019, Musical America recognized Whitehill as one of the Top 30 Professionals of the Performing Arts.