Hosted in conjunction with the Jax Cello Workshop January 23rd to 24th, 2026, the NEW Violin Workshop includes master classes, group classes, and lessons for all students that attend. Early-bird pricing available through January 4th, 2026 and registration occurs in two parts:
- Payment through the Payment Page
- Follow link in post-payment-email to enter student details
Please contact us if you have questions about the registration process.
Faculty
Aurica Duca
A native of the Republic of Moldova, Aurica Duca began violin at age seven. Duca has participated in various international competitions, such as Remember Enescu and Kloster Schöntal. She is the first prize winner of the Cornelia Bronzetti Violin Competition and the International Violin Competition of Brasov. In 2000, she was awarded the Grand Prix winner at the Paul Constantinescu International Competition in Romania. Other awards include the Mayor’s Scholarship of Chișinău, Moldova and the prestigious scholarship from the Foundation of Beneficence.
In 2006, Duca joined the violin section of the Jacksonville Symphony as one of the orchestra’s youngest players. In the fall of 2015, she was appointed Principal Second Violin. She is also the concertmaster of the Coastal Symphony of Georgia, a position she has held since 2013.
Duca has performed with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and has had solo engagements with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, the National Philharmonic of Chișinău and the National Youth Orchestra in Holland. She has studied at the A. Casella Conservatory in Laquila, Italy and at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia with Felix Ayo. Her summer festival credits include Spoleto Festival USA, Spoleto Festival Italy, the St. Augustine Music Festival and is featured in Festival Mozaic’s Chamber Music Series in San Luis Obispo, California every summer.
Expanding her interest beyond classical music, Duca toured internationally with GRAMMY® Award winning jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, including an annual holiday residency at New York’s Blue Note jazz club from 2010-2012. In 2014, she co-founded the Lawson ensemble along with violist/violinist Clinton Dewing and cellist Nick Curry. The Lawson Ensemble is currently in residence at the University of North Florida.
Duca is married to violinist Clinton Dewing and has three daughters Siena, Nola and Soma.
Victoria Stjerna
Victoria Stjerna is a Swedish award winning concert violinist. She has won numerous awards in international competitions in Sweden, Denmark and Hungary. She is a frequently invited guest concertmaster, leader and chamber musician.
She is one of the founding members of the distinguished European Chamberorchestra O/Modernt, touring frequently around Europe. Victoria has performed at prestigious halls such as the Musikverein Vienna, Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall with orchestras like the Stockholm Philharmonics, Swedish Radio Orchestra and the Gothenburg Symphony and continues to explore a broad repertoire in chamber music which is her passion. She recently released a CD with her Piano Trio playing music by the Swedish composer Laura Netzel.
Marguerite Richardson
Marguerite Richardson holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, a Master of Music degree from the University of South Carolina, and a Doctor of Music in Music Performance degree from The Florida State University. Formerly Professor of Music and Director of Orchestral Studies at Jacksonville University (JU), Dr. Richardson currently is Visiting Instructor of Music in Conducting at the University of North Florida (UNF) and serves as conductor of the UNF Orchestra. Dr. Richardson performs as violinist in the Kinne Trio with Dr. Shannon Lockwood, ‘cello and Dr. Scott Watkins, piano. The group’s debut recording features works by composers Clara Schumann and Amy Beach (available on Amazon). In February of 2017, Dr. Richardson made her international conducting début with the Piccadilly Symphony Orchestra in a series of performances in Manchester, England. She presented at the National Conference of the College Orchestra Directors Association (CODA) in 2014, 2017, 2019, 2024, and 2025, and served as President of CODA in 2022-2023, hosting the 2023 CODA National Conference in Jacksonville, Florida.
Known around the state of Florida as an enthusiastic educator, Dr. Richardson presented at the Florida Music Education Association (FMEA) State Conference in 2018, and conducted a performance of the Jacksonville University Orchestra at the Florida Orchestra Association (FOA)/Florida American String Teachers Association (FLASTA) Fall Professional Development Conference as the invited ensemble for 2018. Her presentation at the 2023 FOA/FLASTA Fall Conference titled The Geometry of Intonation: Shaping the Approach to the Fingerboard reflects her interest in the integration of mathematical concepts to string teaching. Dr. Richardson has conducted the 9th/10th Grade Honors Orchestra for Hillsborough County, the FSU Philharmonia, the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra, and, in 2025, conducted the All State 9th-12th Grade Honors Orchestra at the state FMEA Conference. Dr. Richardson has been conductor of the Civic Orchestra of Jacksonville since the fall of 2016, a community ensemble which serves northeast Florida by providing free access to symphonic music at venues throughout the Jacksonville area. Since 2017 she has served as co-director of the Summer Chamber Music Intensive, along with Shannon Lockwood and Scott Watkins. In 2012 and 2014, Dr. Richardson was a Visiting Foreign Scholar at Beifang University (Yin Chuan, China) where she presented solo recitals, taught master classes and private lessons, and worked with the Beifang University Orchestra. Dr. Richardson previously taught at the University of North Florida, where she began the string program and began the University of North Florida Orchestra while at the time a full-time member of the Jacksonville Symphony as a violinist.
Yu-Ping Tsai
Taiwanese violinist Yu-Ping Tsai is quickly gaining international recognition as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral violinist. Appointed Associate Concertmaster of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Yu-Ping won this position shortly after completing her first
year of a Master’s degree at The Colburn School under the tutelage of Robert Lipsett. She then proceeded to graduate with a Professional Studies Certificate from the Colburn School. She graduated from The Juilliard School with a Bachelor’s of Music, and under the guidance of
Joseph Lin. Yu-Ping has been participating in various well-known music festivals and competitions, as well as performing with renowned artists.
In 2023, Yu-Ping won the Dorothy Delay Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival. She returned to Aspen as a winner to perform Mozart Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra with well-known violist Lawrence Power and the Aspen Orchestra during the 2024 season. She received the 35th Chimei Arts Award in Taiwan, which grants an annual scholarship for her study at Colburn from 2023 to 2024. She participated in The Aspen Music Festival as a fellow of the New Horizon fellowship where she studied with Kathleen Winkler.
In early 2023, Yu-Ping took part in a recording session for The Long Wait, an album composed and organized by jazz trombonist Matthew McDonald. In the same year, Yu-Ping has performed Mozart Piano Quartet No.2 with American Pianist Orion Weiss, as well as performed Saint Saëns septet with Norwegian Trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth.
In 2022, Yu-Ping won the gold prize in Amadeus International Music Awards, as well as the gold prize in Singapore Raffles International Music Festival. In the summer of 2022, Yu-Ping participated at The Aspen Music Festival and School (AMFS) as a fellow with a full scholarship. She studied with Masao Kawasaki and Robert Lipsett at AMFS. In the same year, Yu-Ping went on a tour in Germany with Taiwan Camerata, traveling to Berlin, Munich, and Hamburg. Additionally, Yu-Ping was one of the performers to perform the national anthem at the 2022 New York Mets Taiwan Day event at Citi Field.
In 2021, Yu-Ping gave a recital in Eslite Performance Hall, Taipei, Taiwan, and also performed with Academy of Taiwan Strings at Taiwan National Concert Hall. In the summer of 2021, she participated in Music Academy of the West, and was one of the concertmasters of Music Academy of the West Orchestra. She studied with Kathleen Winkler, Martin Beaver, Glenn Dicterow, and Jorja Fleezanis.
In 2020, Yu-Ping won First place in the Shu-Te Sylvia Lee Violin Competition in Taiwan. In the summer of 2020, she participated in Music Academy of the West based in Santa Barbara,
California. She participated in the William Hymanson Concertmaster Program, and received the
2020 William Hymanson Endowed Full Scholarship.
In 2017, Yu-Ping won third place in the Academy of Taiwan Violin Competition. At the end of 2017, Yu-Ping was invited by Chiang Mai Ginastera International Music Festival & Competition (CGIMF) as the winner to perform Mendelssohn Violin concerto, Op.64 with conductor Chaipruck Mekara and Chiang Mai Symphony Orchestra in Kad Suan Kaew in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Additionally, in the same year, Yu-Ping also made her debut with Academy of Taiwan Strings at Taiwan National Concert Hall, and gave a recital at Taoyuan Concert Hall in Taiwan. In 2016, Yu-Ping won the First prize in the CGIMF. In the summer of 2016, she participated in the Euro Music Festival and Academy where she was taught by Mr. Ingolf Turban and Mr. Nicolas Koeckert.
Corina Donica
Corina Donica is a young violinist who loves to share her passion for performing various styles of music. Her attendance at the Meadowmount School of Music, Brevard Music Festival, Eastern Music Festival and other festivals brought her into contact with many renowned teachers from around the world. There she also performed as a soloist and concertmaster. Corina received her undergraduate degree in violin performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She went on to complete a Master’s degree at the University of North Florida, where she discovered her passion for educating while working as a teaching assistant.
After university, Corina established the Strings Music Program at the Episcopal School of Jacksonville. There she emphasizes on giving her students a strong foundation in both string technique and musicianship as well as to expand their overall mental capability. To achieve this, she uses various teaching techniques to meet each student’s individual needs, spurring on the young artist’s personal development through their instrument. In 2023, Corina was invited as a guest artist and soloist at the Palotti Summer Festival in Belize. During her time there, she conducted masterclasses and group classes for students as well as teachers.
Corina has performed as an orchestral, chamber and soloist musician in the United States as well as Germany, France, Spain, Israel, Romania, Russia, Colombia and Belize. She has played in various ensembles alongside renowned musicians such as Lynn Harrell, the Shanghai Quartet and the Lawnson Ensemble, founded by Dr. Nick Curry. At times she also plays with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, Coastal Symphony and Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra.
Believing that music can bridge cultures, heal souls and reconcile generations, Corina is committed to bring together musicians from different backgrounds. Thus she was a principal founder and leader of the Charlotte Slavic Children’s Choir and Orchestra in North Carolina, as well as the Living Stream Orchestra in Florida. Together with her brother David and their friend Ben, Corina initiated ‘Heart of Music’, a non-profit that offers performance opportunities for students of all ages. The organisation aims to inspire and mentor young musicians to achieve excellence in music.Corina appreciates fast cars, good coffee and loves to travel with her husband Wolfgang.
Schedule
The official 2026 schedule is emailed to registrants the week of the event.
The workshop involves master classes, mini lessons and group classes. Students get a mini lesson each day that they are on campus, and group classes are organized by experience and include adult cellists. In addition to the cello technique classes, there are multiple supplemental classes classes including body movement, jazz bass lines and improvisation, Suzuki book play-throughs and rhythm.
We have a positive atmosphere that encourages and inspires high level learning. Students can attend one or two days. Lunch is provided on Saturday and participants get a terrific looking t-shirt!
example schedule:
Friday
- 11am-12pm Registration
- 12pm Group Meeting
- 12:30-6pm Lessons & Classes
Saturday
- 9am-12pm Lessons & Classes
- 12pm Lunch (provided by JCW)
- 1pm-5:30pm Lessons & Classes
We hope you join us for the NEW 2026 Violin Workshop in Jacksonville, Florida!
The Jacksonville Cello Workshop 