Our People

CARLOS MIGUEL PRIETO

MUSIC DIRECTOR

The Maxine and Benjamin Swalin Chair

Mexican conductor and Grammy-winner Carlos Miguel Prieto started his tenure as Music Director of the North Carolina Symphony at the beginning of the 2023/24 season.

From 2007 to 2022, Prieto was Music Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de México. In 2023 he received the Fine Arts Medal, Mexico’s highest honor for a musician. He was Music Director of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra from 2006 to 2023, where he helped lead the cultural renewal of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and won a Grammy in 2024.

Grant LlewellynMusic Director Laureate

Grant Llewellyn served as North Carolina Symphony’s Music Director for sixteen seasons and now holds the title of Music Director Laureate.

Grant Llewellyn is renowned for his exceptional charisma, energy, and easy authority in music of all styles and periods. He concluded his tenure as Music Director of the Orchestre National de Bretagne (ONB) in 2023 after eight years.

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Sophie Sze-ki MokAssistant Conductor

In November, 2024, Sophie Sze-Ki Mok began her tenure as Assistant Conductor of the North Carolina Symphony.

Sophie Sze-Ki Mok has served as the Assistant Conductor of the Asian Youth Orchestra for 2023 and 2024, where she assisted conductors Joseph Bastian and Jader Bignamini. Her recent engagements include serving as the cover conductor for five programs with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra working with conductors including Marin Alsop, Jonathon Heyward, Thomas Wilkins, and Tan Dun. Previously, she was the Conducting Fellow of the Miami Symphony Orchestra as well as an Assistant Conductor of the Frost Symphony Orchestra at the University of Miami Frost School of Music.

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Violin I

To Be FilledConcertmasterThe Annabelle Lundy Fetterman Chair Jessica HungAssociate ConcertmasterThe Assad Meymandi and Family Chair Anna BlackAssistant ConcertmasterThe Anne Heartt Gregory Chair Karen Strittmatter GalvinAssistant Concertmaster Emily Rist GloverThe Jessie Wyatt Ethridge Chair Paul GoldsberryThe Richard and Joy Cook Chair Seula LeeThe Governor James B. Hunt, Jr. Chair Joseph Meyer Maria MeyerThe Tom and Mary Mac Bradshaw Chair Minjoo MoonThe Harvey At-Large Chair Pablo Sánchez PazosThe Phyllis (“Pat”) Conrad Wells Chair Jessica RyouThe James C. Byrd and Family Chair Erin ZehngutThe J. Felix Arnold Chair

Violin II

Jacqueline Saed WolborskyPrincipalThe Nancy Finch Wallace Chair Tiffany KangAssociate PrincipalThe Blanche Martin Shaw Chair David KilbrideAssistant Principal Qi Cao Janet Gayer Hall Chris Jusell Oskar Ozolinch Subin Shin Jeanine Wynton

Viola

Samuel GoldPrincipalThe Florence Spinks and Charles Jacob Cate and Alma Yondorf and Sylvan Hirschberg Chair Kurt TsengAssociate PrincipalThe Betty Ellen Madry Chair Brian SherwoodAssistant Principal Petra Berényi Paul Malcolm Amy MasonThe J. Sidney Kirk Chair Daniel Moore Sandra SchwarczThe Samuel H. and Anne Latham Johnson Chair

Cello

Bonnie ThronPrincipalThe June and Tom Roberg Chair Elizabeth BeilmanAssociate PrincipalThe Sarah Carlyle Herbert Dorroh Chair Peng LiAssistant Principal,Anonymously Endowed Yewon AhnAnonymously Endowed David MeyerThe Nell Hirschberg Chair Marc MoskovitzThe William Charles Rankin Chair Lisa Howard ShaughnessyThe Sara Wilson Hodgkins Chair Samuel Sykes Nathaniel YaffeThe Secretary of Cultural Resources Betty Ray McCain Chair

Double Bass

Leonid FinkelshteynPrincipalThe Martha and Peyton Woodson Chair Joshua DePointAssociate PrincipalThe Dr. and Mrs. Preston H. Gada Chair Craig BrownThe Mark W. McClure Foundation Chair Erik DykeThe Harllee H. and Pauline G. Jobe Chair Bruce RidgeThe John C. and Margaret P. Parker Chair

Flute

Megan TortiPrincipalThe Mr. and Mrs. George M. Stephens Chair Mary E. BooneAssistant PrincipalThe Dr. and Mrs. Shaler Stidham, Jr. Chair Alexandra StokesThe Jack and Sing Boddie Chair, The Jean Dunn Williams Chair

Oboe

Melanie WilsdenPrincipalThe Hardison and Stoltze Chair Joseph PetersAssociate PrincipalThe Lizette T. Dunham Chair To Be Filled- OboeThe Clarence and Alice Aycock Poe Chair

English Horn

Joseph PetersAssociate PrincipalThe Bruce and Margaret King Chair

Clarinet

Samuel AlmaguerPrincipalThe Mr. and Mrs. J. Christopher Walker, II Chair Sammy LesnickAssistant PrincipalThe Kathryn Powell and Green Flavie Cooper Chair

Bassoon

Aaron ApazaPrincipalThe Mr. and Mrs. Fitzgerald S. Hudson Chair Wenmin ZhangAssistant PrincipalThe Beethoven Chair

French Horn

Rebekah DaleyPrincipalThe Mary T. McCurdy Chair Kimberly Van PeltAssociate PrincipalThe Paul R. Villard and Gabriel Wolf Chair Gabriel MairsonThe James Marion Poyner Chair Russell RybickiThe Roger Colson and Bobbi Lyon Hackett Chair To Be Filled - French HornThe Mary Susan Kirk Fulghum Chair

Trumpet

Paul RandallPrincipalThe George Smedes Poyner Chair Benjamin HauserAssociate PrincipalThe Henry and Martha Zaytoun and Family Chair

Trombone

John IlikaPrincipalThe Thomas Warwick Steed, Jr. Family Chair Steven OsborneAssistant PrincipalThe Frances Armour Bryant Chair

Bass Trombone

Matthew NeffAnonymously Endowed

Tuba

Seth HornerPrincipalThe Governor and Mrs. James G. Martin, Jr. Chair

Timpani

Colin HartnettPrincipalThe Patricia R., Steven T. and George F. Hackney III Chair

Percussion

Richard MotylinskiPrincipalThe Margery and Earl Johnson, Jr. Chair Rajesh PrasadAssistant PrincipalThe Abram and Frances Pascher Kanof Chair

organ

To be Filled - OrganThe Albert and Susan Jenkins and Family Organ Chair

Library

Stephanie WilsonPrincipal Orchestra LibrarianThe Mary Colvert and Banks C. Talley Chair Taylor TroyerAssistant Orchestra Librarian