Musicians for 2021-22
First Violin
Jody Crafford
Kristen G. Price
Ueli Schweizer, concertmaster
Wendy Steslicke
Debbie White
Second Violin
Miriam Bryant, principal
Ken Hoyle
Samantha Lane
Tracy Rivas
Anne Marie Schwankl
Viola
Karen Huey, principal
Emily Troutman
Cello
Elisabeth Crandall, principal
Jessica Dunham
Dr. Bill Hall
Alexa Hughes
Wanda Wazenegger
Tony Williams
Bass
Reinette S. Stephenson, principal
Flute
Kayla Brockhoff
Deborah Godfrey
Jessica T. Simmons, principal
Robin Whitten
Clarinet
Lauren Winkens, principal
Pat Wright
Trombone
Van Groce, Jr., principal
Ella M. Lazenby
Don Wazenegger
Oboe
Thomas Turanchik
Bassoon
Brianna Souza
Horn
Sue Agazzi
Trumpet
Frank Barlow
Tuba
Brad Simpson
Percussion
Greg Lewis
Melissa Mitchell
Harp
Joe Hanna
Concertmaster
Ulric (Ueli) Schweizer is in his nineteenth season as concertmaster of the LCCO. A native of Georgia, Ueli began playing violin at age ten when his family moved to South Carolina. With a B.A. in music from UNC-Greensboro, he is an active performer, playing regularly in a myriad of venues and for a variety of occasions in the Piedmont region.
As concertmaster, he has been highlighted as a soloist in several LCCO concerts, including performances of Dvorák's Romance and Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending. One of his interests involves acting and playing in Let Your Children Tell, a play produced by the Touring Theatre of North Carolina about children who were sent to concentration camps in WWII. He lives in Greensboro with his wife, pianist Dr. Mayumi Osada, and repairs string instruments at Moore Music Company.
LCCO Board President & Principal Bass
Concertmaster
Music Director & Principal Horn
LCCO Board President & Principal Bass
Need event music?
Several of our LCCO musicians play solo and chamber music for special events such as weddings and receptions. If you would like music for an event, please feel free to contact one of the musicians listed below.
Elisabeth Crandall - cello, string quartet
Karen Huey - viola, string quartet
Jessica Traversino Simmons - flute
Daniel Simmons - trumpet, brass
Music Director
For the 2021-22 season, LCCO is led by Musician Director Vincent Povázsay, co-director and conductor of earspace, a contemporary chamber music ensemble based in Raleigh. He also serves as a cover conductor with the North Carolina Symphony.
Povázsay received his Bachelor of Music from UNC-Chapel Hill where his focus was on percussion, mostly orchestral, but also in wind and percussion ensembles. He earned a Master’s degree in Orchestral Conducting from Northwestern University, where he served as assistant conductor of the NU Contemporary Music Ensemble.
Povázsay has served as Assistant Conductor for productions with the North Carolina Opera. In 2018, he conducted the world premiere staging of Family Secrets: Kith and Kin, a chamber opera written and conceived by a team of North Carolina-based artists.
In addition to LCCO, Povázsay has appeared with the Janáček Philharmonic, International Contemporary Ensemble, Northwestern Philharmonia, UNC Symphony Orchestra, Meredith College Opera, and the Chapel Hill Philharmonia.
Music Director Emeritus
Tara Villa Keith served as LCCO's music director for eleven seasons through 2019. She is an associate professor of music at Davidson College and the music director of the Davidson College Symphony Orchestra. Under her direction, the DCSO was the national winner of The American Prize 2018 for orchestral performance in the collegiate division.
Previously, Villa Keith has been a cover conductor with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra; assistant conductor for the Hot Springs Music Festival (Arkansas); guest conductor for the Northwest School of the Arts Symphonic Orchestra, North Carolina All Eastern Regional Strings Orchestra, Union Symphony Orchestra (North Carolina), Macon Symphony Orchestra (Georgia), and Opera at USC (South Carolina).
Read more about Tara Villa Keith's leadership of the LCCO at History.