Music Director
For the 2022-23 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.
LCCO Musicians for 2022-23
First Violin
Jody Crawford
Hannah Hendricks
Rebecca Laster
Kristen G. Price
Jessica Rivas
Ueli Schweizer, Concertmaster
Christian Smith
Wendy Steslicke
Debbie White
Kim Whitney
Second Violin
Miriam Bryant, Principal
Maggie Flowers
Ken Hoyle
Samantha Lane
Tracy Rivas
Emily Rubio
Aya Schillig
Anne Marie Schwankl
Sharon Valentic
Viola
Joli Brooks
Karen Huey, Principal
Ruth Johnson
Emily Troutman
Cello
Elisabeth Crandall, Principal
Kelsey Douglas
Jessica Dunham
Dr. Bill Hall
Caitlyn Laster
Sophie Miller
Wanda Wazenegger
Bass
Leslie Cottrell
Julien Cox
Reinette S. Stephenson
Cindy Xu
Flute
Kayla Brockhoff
Deborah Godfrey (piccolo)
Julie Southwick (piccolo)
Jillian Storey, Principal
Robin Whitten
Clarinet
Lily Kie
Lauren Winkens, Principal
Pat Wright
Bass Clarinet
Melissa Mitchell
Oboe
Brian Skinner
Thomas Turanchik, Principal
Bassoon
Jack Fanning
Meghan Prochnau
Brianna Souza
Jan Streifer, Principal
Ethan Yang
Harp
Joe Hanna
Horn
Daniel Aston
Taylor Hicks
Eric Keith, Principal
Robert Stagg
Pruette Wells
Trumpet
Josh Carpenter
Ken Dodson
Jordan Fulk
John Manning
Josh Martin
Larry Wells
Trombone
Franklin Cole
Van Groce, Jr., Principal
Ella M. Lazenby
Don Wazenegger
Tuba
Carl Jones
Brad Simpson
Percussion
Ben Cain
Greg Lewis, Principal
Melissa Mitchell (keyboard)
Jeff Neal
Tony Waller
Concertmaster
Ulric (Ueli) Schweizer is in his nineteenth season as concertmaster of 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. He lives in Greensboro with his wife, pianist Dr. Mayumi Osada, and repairs string instruments at Moore Music Company.
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 served as 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).