Violin
Dr. Elena Marchetti
Artistic Director · Violin
A former concertmaster of the Lakeshore Chamber Orchestra, Elena holds a doctorate from the Eastman School of Music and has taught on the North Shore for two decades.
About
A studio devoted to the string arts.
Founded in 1998, Duluth Strings Academy has become the North Shore’s home for serious, joyful strings education.
Our story
From a single studio to the region’s strings academy.
Duluth Strings Academy began in 1998 with one violinist, a rented room above Canal Park, and a conviction that this lake town deserved conservatory-caliber strings teaching.
A quarter-century later, our faculty of twelve teaches hundreds of students each season — yet we’ve kept the things that mattered from the start: one-to-one mentorship, frequent performance, and a belief that every student can make something beautiful.
Our alumni play in youth and professional orchestras, study at conservatories across North America, and — just as often — simply carry music with them for life.
What we value
The principles behind every lesson.
Warmth first
Music is hard enough; the studio should feel like a home. We lead with encouragement and patience.
Conservatory rigor
High expectations, careful technique, and honest feedback — the foundation of real artistry.
Community
Recitals, family events, and ensembles knit students and parents into something larger than a lesson.
Rooted in Duluth
Proudly of the North Shore — partnering with local schools, orchestras, and venues across the region.
- 25+
- Years on the North Shore
- 200+
- Students each season
- 12
- Faculty artists
- 4
- Recitals every year
Faculty
Meet the artists who teach here.
A small, devoted faculty of performing musicians and dedicated pedagogues.
Violin
Chamber Music
Marcus Lindgren
Cello · Chamber Music
Marcus performs across the Upper Midwest and coaches our chamber program. His students have advanced to conservatories from Oberlin to McGill.
Foundations
Aiko Tanaka
Viola · Foundations
A specialist in early-strings pedagogy, Aiko leads our Foundations cohort and brings warmth, patience, and Suzuki training to every young musician.
Theory
David Whitefeather
Double Bass · Theory
Equally at home in the symphony and the jazz club, David teaches bass across idioms and directs our musicianship and theory curriculum.
Faculty profiles are representative. We’ll introduce you to your student’s teacher at placement.
The chamber program taught me to listen in a way no solo lesson ever could. I auditioned for conservatory feeling completely prepared.