Mary McLeod

Mary has been involved with music and dance since her youth in Madison, Wisconsin. She had her own dance school, accompanied classes and performed with the Wisconsin Ballet, and after moving to Austin, with Austin Ballet Theater under Stanley Hall. She taught dance and German at St. Edward’s University.

After completing several construction courses at Austin Community College, Mary made a major career shift to home designer and builder, eventually forming the partnership McLeod & Moore Builders. She served as the residential coordinator for the City of Austin’s Green Building Program.

As a result of adding a music studio to the home of Robert Rudie and Kathryn Mishell, Mary was inspired to begin piano lessons after a hiatus of many years. Through Robert and Kathryn, she fell in love with chamber music and has enthusiastically attended and supported Salon Concerts since the beginning.

In addition to supporting other music organizations in Austin, Mary is a Home Builder with Foundation Communities.

Karen Blizzard

Karen Hoffman Blizzard is a consultant, freelance writer, and avocational musician. Previously she worked in communications and management for Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and other state agencies. As a writer, she has published articles on parks, recreation, and conservation for Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine, Texas Highways, and Austin Monthly. She is a returning singer with Conspirare Symphonic Choir and former singer with several other Austin and NYC choral groups. During the pandemic, her Brazilian music duo, "Bossa Bom," produced a series of virtual shows in outdoor settings and was awarded a grant by the Austin Artists Project. A former student of Kathryn Mishell, Karen enjoys playing her Mason & Hamlin baby grand. She is a native Austinite and lifelong Barton Springs swimmer. She lives in South Austin with her husband, Mike Blizzard.

Thomas lutazi, Board Secretary

Thomas Lutazi, age 61, has a diverse background in finance, entrepreneurship and web  development, and a growing involvement in the classical music scene in Austin, TX.  

 His experience includes: 

• Trading in the foreign exchange and money markets, central bank reporting, and  financial control at National Westminster Bank in Frankfurt 

• Developing and implementing investor relations plans for major corporations as a  senior account executive at Edelman Financial in New York 

• Assisting with the sale of Body Health Resources and co-founding Artisan Sauces, a  gourmet food company  

• Importing artisanal wood objects from the Brazilian Amazon 

• Creating websites and applications for small businesses, major corporations, and  non-profit foundations as a freelance front-end web developer 

Thomas has recently been involved with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, where he served  on the 2024 Gala committee, contributing his organizational and cross-cultural skills to  help make the gala successful. Thomas studied at Heidelberg University in Germany and  then completed his B.A. in International Business Administration at the American  University in Paris. A native speaker of German, he is also fluent in French and Portuguese.  For many years he was a passionate rower, first coming to Austin to train and compete with  the Austin Rowing Club when it was too wintry to train back in New York City. He was first  introduced to chamber music on a visit to Vienna as a teenager and has been a loyal and  enthusiastic concertgoer ever since.

Andrew schwartz, Treasurer

Andrew Schwartz is a partner with Hart Financial Group where his focus is financial and estate planning. His public service includes 2 terms as a city councilman for West Lake Hills, 10+ years with Big Brothers Big Sisters, former board member of Austin Lyric Opera and founding board member of the Symphony Bats.