Bio
Violinist Ross Monroe Winter's career spans four continents and multiple genres as soloist; chamber, orchestral, opera, and ballet musician; educator; as well as work in film and television. These eclectic experiences guide his pedagogy in mentoring the next generation of 21st century working-musicians.
A devoted teacher for over two decades, Dr. Winter is a Violin Professor and Coordinator of Graduate Studies in Music at the University of Central Florida's School of Performing Arts in Orlando. During the summers, he teaches violin and chamber music at the Wintergreen Music Festival & Academy where he has also served as Academy Director. He is on the violin and chamber music faculty at The Orchestra Project: a festival jointly produced by VCU and the Richmond Symphony in Virginia. He also founded and served as Artistic Director of the Midwest Violin Caucus, a yearly event that brings notable pedagogues and students from five states to Iowa for workshops, masterclasses, and concerts.
Previously he has been on the string faculties of the University of Northern Iowa, George Mason University, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Mary Washington, University of Richmond, and New England Conservatory Preparatory School and “Festival Youth Orchestra” Summer Institute. He has given masterclasses at the University of Colorado-Boulder, Michigan State University, University of North Texas, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Sichuan Conservatory of Music, The Boston Conservatory, and University of North Carolina-Greensboro among many others. His students have gone on to pursue meaningful careers including winning auditions in professional American symphony orchestras, serving as public and private school orchestra directors, holding university teaching positions, and as successful freelancers.
As a soloist, he has enjoyed performing with multiple orchestras in the United States, Brazil, and China. Frequently collaborating in double concertos, highlights of recent concerts include Anna Clyne's "Prince of Clouds" for two violins performed with Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Frank Almond and conductor Laura Jackson, as well as Mozart’s “Concertone” for two violins performed with Juilliard violin professor Laurie Smukler and conductor Rebecca Burkhardt. Always seeking to explore new works, he has given the Asian premiere of Daron Hagen’s Concerto for Violin “Songbook” in 2018 and the world premiere of John Frantzen's Double Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Wind Ensemble at the College Band Directors National Association southern division conference in Louisiana in 2020.
Having held full-time orchestral positions, Dr. Winter’s career began as a symphonic musician and he continues to actively perform with ensembles around the country. Currently he is a member the IRIS Orchestra (TN) and is principal second violin of the Wintergreen Festival Orchestra. He spent 18 years as a member of The Richmond Symphony (VA) and been a core member of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Philharmonic, and has been a regular substitute with the National (Washington, DC), Atlanta, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Naples, Sarasota, Jacksonville, Alabama, and New Jersey symphony orchestras. Frequently performing as a guest concertmaster, he has filled that role often with the Des Moines Metro Opera, Hilton Head Symphony, Dubuque Symphony, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, La Crosse Symphony orchestras, and spent two seasons as the interim associate concertmaster of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra.
Immersed in chamber music, he is the violinist of the Orlando Piano Trio and is frequently heard in recital, as a guest with numerous ensembles, and in the summers as a member of the Wintergreen Chamber Players. He was a founding member of the award-winning Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, which has been ensemble-in-residence at WCVE Public Radio and at the Lake George Music Festival. He has performed at the festivals of Arizona MusicFest, Aspen, Santo Domingo, Todi, Maastricht, Sichuan, Cedar Valley Chamber Music, Virginia Arts, and Music at Penn's Woods.
Dr. Winter holds a Bachelor of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music where he studied with Boston Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Malcolm Lowe, and a Master of Music from the State University of New York Purchase College-Conservatory of Music with Laurie Smukler as a graduate assistant. He completed his doctoral studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC with Jody Gatwood. Other principal teachers include Sylvia Rosenberg, Kurt Sassmannshaus, and Philip Setzer of the Emerson String Quartet.
His most notable student has been Robert Downey, Jr. for the Warner Bros. film Sherlock Holmes (2009) while also playing the role of "Violinist". Other tastes of Hollywood include roles as a featured performer in Sex and the City 2 (2010), Taylor Swift's NBC Thanksgiving Special (2010), HBO's series Mildred Pierce (2011) starring Kate Winslet, the BET Honors with Aretha Franklin (2014), and Steven Spielberg's Lincoln (2012). He also spent time working on the USA Network series Royal Pains as an advisor and tutoring guest star Sami Gayle for the episode “A History of Violins” (2011). Recordings for Albany Records, Sono Luminus, AAM Recordings, and Naxos.
In another life, Dr. Winter would have become an astrophysicist, as he is fascinated with everything outer space-related. Black holes, quantum physics, neutrino stars, dark matter/energy, are some of the most fascinating topics in the universe!
A devoted teacher for over two decades, Dr. Winter is a Violin Professor and Coordinator of Graduate Studies in Music at the University of Central Florida's School of Performing Arts in Orlando. During the summers, he teaches violin and chamber music at the Wintergreen Music Festival & Academy where he has also served as Academy Director. He is on the violin and chamber music faculty at The Orchestra Project: a festival jointly produced by VCU and the Richmond Symphony in Virginia. He also founded and served as Artistic Director of the Midwest Violin Caucus, a yearly event that brings notable pedagogues and students from five states to Iowa for workshops, masterclasses, and concerts.
Previously he has been on the string faculties of the University of Northern Iowa, George Mason University, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Mary Washington, University of Richmond, and New England Conservatory Preparatory School and “Festival Youth Orchestra” Summer Institute. He has given masterclasses at the University of Colorado-Boulder, Michigan State University, University of North Texas, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Sichuan Conservatory of Music, The Boston Conservatory, and University of North Carolina-Greensboro among many others. His students have gone on to pursue meaningful careers including winning auditions in professional American symphony orchestras, serving as public and private school orchestra directors, holding university teaching positions, and as successful freelancers.
As a soloist, he has enjoyed performing with multiple orchestras in the United States, Brazil, and China. Frequently collaborating in double concertos, highlights of recent concerts include Anna Clyne's "Prince of Clouds" for two violins performed with Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Frank Almond and conductor Laura Jackson, as well as Mozart’s “Concertone” for two violins performed with Juilliard violin professor Laurie Smukler and conductor Rebecca Burkhardt. Always seeking to explore new works, he has given the Asian premiere of Daron Hagen’s Concerto for Violin “Songbook” in 2018 and the world premiere of John Frantzen's Double Concerto for Violin, Cello, and Wind Ensemble at the College Band Directors National Association southern division conference in Louisiana in 2020.
Having held full-time orchestral positions, Dr. Winter’s career began as a symphonic musician and he continues to actively perform with ensembles around the country. Currently he is a member the IRIS Orchestra (TN) and is principal second violin of the Wintergreen Festival Orchestra. He spent 18 years as a member of The Richmond Symphony (VA) and been a core member of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Philharmonic, and has been a regular substitute with the National (Washington, DC), Atlanta, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Naples, Sarasota, Jacksonville, Alabama, and New Jersey symphony orchestras. Frequently performing as a guest concertmaster, he has filled that role often with the Des Moines Metro Opera, Hilton Head Symphony, Dubuque Symphony, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony, La Crosse Symphony orchestras, and spent two seasons as the interim associate concertmaster of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra.
Immersed in chamber music, he is the violinist of the Orlando Piano Trio and is frequently heard in recital, as a guest with numerous ensembles, and in the summers as a member of the Wintergreen Chamber Players. He was a founding member of the award-winning Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, which has been ensemble-in-residence at WCVE Public Radio and at the Lake George Music Festival. He has performed at the festivals of Arizona MusicFest, Aspen, Santo Domingo, Todi, Maastricht, Sichuan, Cedar Valley Chamber Music, Virginia Arts, and Music at Penn's Woods.
Dr. Winter holds a Bachelor of Music from the New England Conservatory of Music where he studied with Boston Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Malcolm Lowe, and a Master of Music from the State University of New York Purchase College-Conservatory of Music with Laurie Smukler as a graduate assistant. He completed his doctoral studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC with Jody Gatwood. Other principal teachers include Sylvia Rosenberg, Kurt Sassmannshaus, and Philip Setzer of the Emerson String Quartet.
His most notable student has been Robert Downey, Jr. for the Warner Bros. film Sherlock Holmes (2009) while also playing the role of "Violinist". Other tastes of Hollywood include roles as a featured performer in Sex and the City 2 (2010), Taylor Swift's NBC Thanksgiving Special (2010), HBO's series Mildred Pierce (2011) starring Kate Winslet, the BET Honors with Aretha Franklin (2014), and Steven Spielberg's Lincoln (2012). He also spent time working on the USA Network series Royal Pains as an advisor and tutoring guest star Sami Gayle for the episode “A History of Violins” (2011). Recordings for Albany Records, Sono Luminus, AAM Recordings, and Naxos.
In another life, Dr. Winter would have become an astrophysicist, as he is fascinated with everything outer space-related. Black holes, quantum physics, neutrino stars, dark matter/energy, are some of the most fascinating topics in the universe!