Judith (Judy) Duda recently established the Endowed Ayako Yonetani String Scholarship, an endowment for violin and viola students. This is the first endowed scholarship honoring an active faculty member in the music department.
Among her numerous leadership roles in the Central Florida community, Duda is a member of the Dean’s Executive Council for the Colleges of Arts & Humanities at UCF. She is the founder and coordinator of the St. Luke’s Concert Series, now in its 15th season.
The endowment was a surprise for Yonetani who performed at the Dean’s Executive Council meeting on January 11. In addition to her teaching position at UCF, she is an international concert performer and a member of Japan’s premier chamber ensemble, Kioi Sinfonietta Tokyo.
On January 6, Yonetani played a recital of duets from the Baroque and Classical eras with pianist Evan Solomon at the New York Public Library at Lincoln Center.