About Us
The members of the Madison Trio (so named because two of us earned our music degrees at James Madison University) are highly trained and experienced professional musicians. We have performed at hundreds of weddings over the past three decades, and are eager to help you select the perfect music for your special day. We regularly play at Veritas Vineyard, Pippin Hill, Keswick Hall, Keswick Vineyards, Trump Winery, the UVa Chapel, the Boar’s Head Inn, and more. Ask for recommendations!
Christine Steele
Christine Steele has been playing flute for more than forty years. A native of Charlottesville, she participated in the award winning band and orchestra programs in the area as a student and later joined as an educator upon completion of her bachelor’s in music education from James Madison University. She maintains a thriving private studio, having produced many music majors over the years. She regularly performs in the Charlottesville Band, Sentimental Journey, and other ensembles. When not teaching or performing, she is a mother to nine children and stepchildren, and enjoys her other passion of fashion commerce at the Madewell store in Charlottesville.
Lianne Campbell
Lianne Campbell, violin and viola, is a native of Delaware. She studied with Estella Frankel, Sylvia Ahramjian, Barbara Westphal and Dr. Benson Headley, and has been teaching strings for over 27 years. While in Delaware, she was part of the faculty of the Wilmington Music School for ten years along with having her own studio. In addition to soloing with a number of orchestras, Ms. Campbell has extensive orchestral and chamber music experience and performs with the Virginia Consort, the Oratorio Society and other local orchestras. Currently Principal Second Violin with the Waynesboro Symphony Orchestra, she is also a certified Suzuki teacher with a violin studio in Crozet.
Laura Mulligan Thomas
Cellist Laura Mulligan Thomas has directed the Charlottesville High School Orchestra for more than three decades. She came to CHS after graduating with honors from James Madison University in 1982 and began immediately to develop and nourish the orchestra program of the eight students she inherited. Today an award-winning group of 140, a number of CHSO graduates are professional musicians who perform with orchestras and pop, rock, and country artists in the U.S. and Europe. Still other alumni have followed in Ms. Thomas’s footsteps and pursued careers in music education, including her daughter Emily. Ms. Thomas earned her masters’ degree in orchestral conducting from Shenandoah Conservatory in 1996, having studied with Thomas Wilkins and Ray Fowler. She is the chair of the Fine Arts department at Charlottesville High School, and for three years directed the University of Richmond Orchestra.
