Violinist Ross Monroe Winter’s career spans four continents and multiple genres as a soloist; chamber, orchestral, opera, and ballet musician; educator; and performer in film and television. These eclectic experiences guide his pedagogy as he mentors the next generation of working musicians.

A devoted teacher for more than two decades, Dr. Winter is a professor of violin and Coordinator of Graduate Studies in Music at the University of Central Florida School of Performing Arts in Orlando. During the summers, he teaches violin and chamber music at the Wintergreen Music Festival, where he has also served as Academy Director, and has taught at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute. He also founded and served as Artistic Director of the Midwest Violin Caucus, an annual event that brings notable pedagogues and students from five states to Iowa for workshops, masterclasses, and concerts.

Previously, he served on the string faculties of the University of Northern Iowa, George Mason University, Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of Mary Washington, the University of Richmond, and the New England Conservatory Preparatory School and Summer Orchestra Institute. He has given masterclasses at the University of Colorado Boulder, Michigan State University, the University of North Texas, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Sichuan Conservatory of Music, The Boston Conservatory, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, among many others. His students have gone on to pursue meaningful careers, including winning auditions with professional American symphony orchestras, serving as public- and private-school orchestra directors, holding university teaching positions, and establishing successful freelance careers.

As a soloist, he has enjoyed performing with orchestras in the United States, Brazil, and China. A frequent collaborator in double concertos, highlights of his recent performances 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 gave 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 began his career as a symphonic musician and continues to perform actively with ensembles around the country. He is currently a member of the IRIS Orchestra in Tennessee and serves as Principal Second Violin of the Wintergreen Festival Orchestra. He spent 18 years as a member of the Richmond Symphony in Virginia and has been a core member of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Philharmonic. He has also performed regularly as a substitute with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., as well as the Atlanta, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Naples, Sarasota, Jacksonville, Alabama, and New Jersey symphony orchestras. Frequently appearing as a guest concertmaster, he has filled that role with the Des Moines Metro Opera, Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra, and La Crosse Symphony Orchestra. He also spent two seasons as Interim Associate Concertmaster of the Quad City Symphony Orchestra.

Immersed in chamber music, he is a violinist with the Florida Chamber Music Project and the Orlando Piano Trio. He is frequently heard in recital and as a guest with numerous ensembles, and during the summers he performs as a member of the Wintergreen Chamber Players. He was a founding member of the award-winning Atlantic Chamber Ensemble, which has served as ensemble-in-residence at WCVE Public Radio and the Lake George Music Festival. He has also performed at Arizona Musicfest and the Aspen, Santo Domingo, Todi, Maastricht, Sichuan, Cedar Valley Chamber Music, Virginia Arts, and Music at Penn’s Woods festivals.

Dr. Winter holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Boston Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Malcolm Lowe, and a Master of Music degree from the State University of New York Purchase College Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Laurie Smukler as a graduate assistant. He completed his doctoral studies at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., with Jody Gatwood. His 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., whom he taught for the Warner Bros. film Sherlock Holmes (2009), in which Dr. Winter also played the role of “Violinist.” His other experiences in Hollywood include appearances as a featured performer in Sex and the City 2 (2010), Taylor Swift’s NBC Thanksgiving Special (2010), HBO’s Mildred Pierce (2011), starring Kate Winslet, the BET Honors with Aretha Franklin (2014), and Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln (2012). He also worked on the USA Network series Royal Pains as an advisor and tutored guest star Sami Gayle for the episode “A History of Violins” (2011). He has made recordings for Albany Records, Sono Luminus, AAM Recordings, and Naxos.

In another life, Dr. Winter would have become an astrophysicist, as he is fascinated by everything related to outer space. Black holes, quantum physics, neutron stars, dark matter, and dark energy are among the most fascinating topics in the universe.

EDUCATION

• BM in Violin Performance, New England Conservatory of Music
• MM in Violin Performance, State University of New York Purchase College-Conservatory
• DMA, The Catholic University of America