Donna Harrison is current President of CalASTA Stockton Section. Prior to her retirement, she taught music in the Turlock Unified School District, directing orchestras at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels.  Donna was guest conductor of the SCMEA Jr. High School Honor Orchestra and the Association of Christian School International High School Honor Orchestra in Oakland, CA. She was the recipient of the 2012 Richard L. Levin Orchestra Educator Award from the California Music Educators Association, recognizing excellence in orchestra education and performance at the state level. Donna is a past President of the California Orchestra Directors Association (CODA). Donna stays active in “retirement” serving as an orchestra and string adjudicator throughout California and maintains a private lesson studio. She recently retired from the Modesto Symphony Orchestra after performing as a violinist for 49 years. She is a member of the American String Teachers Association, California Music Educators Association, and American Federation of Musicians, Local 12. Mrs. Harrison is a graduate of the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music and holds Bachelor’s and Master's degrees in Music Education. 

Originally from central Connecticut, educator and violinist Mike Winer currently lives in the Bay Area in California. He teaches strings for the Lammersville USD and Mountain House Suzuki Strings, both in Mountain House, CA and he performs as a freelance musician throughout the area. 

For over ten years, Mr. Winer served as the strings specialist with the Glastonbury Public Schools (Glastonbury, CT). He is in high demand as a guest teacher and clinician for school music programs, private teaching, and Suzuki Education. During the summers, Mr. Winer is the assistant director and faculty member with the Farmington Summer Suzuki Academy (Farmington, CT), where he teaches lessons, conducts orchestra, and coaches chamber music. Before moving to California, Mr. Winer was active with the Connecticut Music Educators Association, where he previously chaired the Connecticut All-State Orchestra, served as High School and Middle School Strings Head Judge, and co-chaired both High School and Middle School Audition Repertoire. 

From 2020-2023, Mr. Winer served as President of the Connecticut Chapter of the American String Teachers’ Association and remains on the Board of Directors as Immediate Past-President. He continues to be involved with ASTA at the local, state, and national levels, serving on the national ASTA Studio Committee and as a Member-At-Large on the California State Chapter Board of Directors.

Mr. Winer is honored to advise Midori and her Orchestral Residency Program, which will partner with ASTA over the next few years. In addition to his day-to-day teaching, Mr. Winer coaches with Amador Valley High School (Pleasanton, CA) and Livermore High School (Livermore, CA) and teaches for the Golden State Youth Orchestra (Palo Alto, CA).

In the past few seasons, some of his more exciting performances have been recitals with pianist Andrew King throughout Connecticut, concerts with the Westfarms quartet at the Leroy Anderson House in Woodbury, CT, and performances with the TUNDI Wagner Festival in Brattleboro, VT. He has also been fortunate to perform as an orchestral soloist, most recently playing Vaughn Williams’ “The Lark Ascending” and the Bach Double Violin Concerto with the Farmington Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Northeast Connecticut Community Orchestra, and, of course, with colleague and fellow quartet member, Selah Kwak.

Mr. Winer’s principal teachers have included violinists Julian Ross in Cleveland, Eric Rosenblith in Boston, and Ben Sayevich in Kansas City.  In addition, Mr. Winer has studied composition with Howard Frazin and Loris Chobanian, conducting with Dwight Oltman, and his violin pedagogy is heavily influenced by working with Eric Rosenblith, Carrie Reuning-Hummel, and his parents, who are both educators and musicians.  Mr. Winer has performed with members of the Cleveland Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and the Scottish BBC Orchestra and served as the Concertmaster of the FVSO from 2018-2022. 

Outside of playing, Mr. Winer spends much of his time attending the opera, cooking, and eating fresh vegetables from his nano-farm.