CONDUCTORS | Staff

Scott C. Gregg
Music Director & Principal Conductor
Winston Family Endowed Chair
Philharmonic & Repertory Orchestra

Scott Gregg is currently in his 12th year with Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra.  During his tenure, the JSYO has grown from a 60 member group to the artistically robust arts education program it is today.  Prior to taking his current position with the JSYO, Mr. Gregg was music director for education of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, music director for the Youth at the Beaches Arts Guild productions, associate conductor of the Goucher Symphony Orchestra, assistant conductor of the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, and staff conductor of the Annapolis Symphony Orchestra, as well as music director of the Bach Society Orchestra in Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Mr. Gregg has conducted the Alabama All-State Symphony Orchestra, Brevard Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Richmond Philharmonic, the Orchestra National du Capitole de Toulouse, France, and the Kielce Philharmonic Orchestra in Poland, among others.  He is a founding board member of the First Coast Community Music School and member of Leadership Jacksonville’s class of 2007.

A recipient of the Seiji Ozawa and Andrew Schenk Fellowships, he spent two summers at the Tanglewood Institute, studying with Maestros Seiji Ozawa, Simon Rattle, and Robert Spano, and closed the festival’s season sharing the podium with Maestro Rattle.  Gregg has also been a conducting fellow at the Aspen Music Festival, and a fellow at the Conductor’s Institute in South Carolina.  Mr. Gregg was a Semi-Finalist in the International Conductors’ Competition in Besançon, France and the Stokowski Conducting Competition in New York.  He was one of four Americans chosen to participate in the 1997 Tokyo International Conducting Competition. 

Mr. Gregg was himself a member of a youth orchestra as a student, serving as concertmaster of the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, and made his solo debut with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at the age of 17.  As an undergraduate at Harvard College, he studied music theory and composition.  He studied conducting at Baltimore’s Peabody Conservatory of Music, where he earned a master’s degree and was awarded the Christopher Percy Prize in Conducting. Concurrently, Maestro Gregg was appointed to the conducting staff of the Peabody Conservatory Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras, as well as associate conductor of the Johns Hopkins Symphony Orchestra.

He is married to Camille Clement Gregg, Director of Development for the Otis Smith Kids Foundation in Jacksonville, Florida, and the two are the proud parents of two cats (Figaro & Scratchy) and golden retriever (Max).

Marguerite Richardson
Associate Conductor
Premiere Strings & Chamber Music Program

Marguerite Richardson serves as Premiere Strings Orchestra conductor and Chamber Music Program Coordinator for the Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra.  A member of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra since 1990, she began her violin studies at the age of four.  She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, a Master of Music  degree from the University of South Carolina, and is completing the Doctor of Music degree at the Florida State University.  Active as a performer on both violin and viola, Ms. Richardson has performed symphonic and chamber music throughout the United States, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and Central America, and performs locally with the Florida Arts Trio.  Between 1995 and 2003, Ms. Richardson started and developed the String Program at the University of North Florida.   Currently, Ms. Richardson has the position of Assistant Professor of Strings at Jacksonville University, where she maintains the violin and viola studios, conducts the Jacksonville University Orchestra, and, with pianist Scott Watkins and clarinetist Artie Clifton, performs in the JU Faculty Trio.

Rocco DiGeorgio
Associate Conductor
Jump Start Strings & Foundation Strings

Rocco (Rocky) DiGeorgio has twenty-one years of experience in orchestral music instruction, both privately and in ensemble. He has served as a guest clinician for many nationally recognized Suzuki violin workshops throughout the United States. Mr. DiGeorgio is founder and director of the Jacksonville Suzuki Strings, an ensemble of 80 young musicians from the Greater Jacksonville area. He also serves as Music Director for Holy Family Catholic School and Church teaching music to students from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade, directing the 75-member choir and conducting six string ensembles. Mr. DiGeorgio received his Bachelor of Music Education from Jacksonville University.

Ilana Kimel
Associate Conductor
Junior Strings

Ilana Kimel, conductor of the JSYO Junior Strings, was born in Lithuania and graduated from the prestigious State Conservatory of Lithuania with a degree in performance and education. Her performance career began with the Chamber Orchestra of Lithuania. After moving to the United States in 1990, Ms. Kimel began teaching Suzuki violin and also performed with the First Coast Orchestra and the Avondale Trio. In 1991, she joined the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra . Ms. Kimel toured Italy, France, Switzerland and Austria with the Santa Monica Philharmonic as assistant concertmaster.

An active teacher, she previously served as a violin instructor for the JSYO. Currently, Ms. Kimel teaches violin and piano in her private studio. She is a founding member of the Russian Trio with her mother, pianist B. Kimel, and Alexei Romanenko, principal cellist of the JSO.

STAFF

Richard Cuff
Orchestra Manager

Richard Cuff brings more than 25 years of small business management experience and a host of fresh ideas to the position of JSYO manager. Mr. Cuff, originally from Miami, has been a resident of Jacksonville since 1990, during which he has owned a marketing consulting firm and has assisted many start-up and emerging businesses in developing their vision and implementing their marketing strategy. Mr. Cuff is founder of the NASEMBA Business Alliance and a professional radio broadcaster having hosted several radio talk shows in the Jacksonville area. (And did we mention he’s also a professional stand-up comedian?) Mr. Cuff knows first-hand the joy of involvement with the JSYO. He and his wife Miriam have two children, Korah and Cameron, who are members in the JSYO.

Laura Lineberry
Operations Coordinator

Laura Lineberry has served as JSYO operations coordinator since 2006, though she has been involved with the JSYO much longer. Her daughter, Megan, was in the program for eight years and she served as Philharmonic Orchestra assistant for three years. Mrs. Lineberry graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education. She has taught first through third grades in school. In addition, she has been a piano teacher for more than 20 years. Laura has served as a church pianist for several area churches as well as choir director for a church in St. Augustine. While not busy with JSYO duties, Laura is the teaching leader for an interdenominational ladies Bible study in St. Augustine. She and her husband Paul are the parents of three children: Cassandra, William, and Megan.

e-mail the JSYO >