Ms. Heinz is director of Symphonic Strings with the Sarasota Youth Orchestra. Ms. Heinz began studying the violin at age 9 in her hometown of Scranton, PA. At the Hartt School of Music, she studied music education with John Feierabend and violin performance with Eric Rosenblith. She graduated summa cum laude, earning her degree in 1994 and was also inducted as a member of Pi Kappa Lambda, the National Music Honor Society. Three years later, she relocated to Sarasota and began teaching general music and strings at Phillippi Shores Elementary School, where she was named Teacher of the Year. In 1997 she began working with the Sarasota Youth Orchestra Program.