Violinist Aurora Mendez has performed extensively across Europe, Asia and the Americas. She holds a Performer’s Certificate and BM in violin performance from the Cali School of Music MSU under the tutelage of Prof. Mary Ann Mumm. During her studies, she served as concertmaster of the MSU Symphony Orchestra and formed part of the conductor’s quintet and Opera Orchestra under Maestro Ken Lam. Aurora is also an alum of the National Youth Orchestra Foundation of Chile where she served as concertmaster of the Metropolitan Youth Orchestra and member of the National Youth Orchestra of Chile.
A seasoned orchestral player, Aurora is a member of the New Haven Symphony and Montclair Orchestras. She has participated in selective fellowship programs such as the Orchestra of the Americas, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Spoleto Festival, Monteux Festival, and the Marrowstone Music Festival. Aurora has also worked with distinguished conductors including David Chan, Semyon Bychkov, Krzysztof Urbánski, Christoph Eschenbach, Carlos Miguel Prieto, Jaime Martin, and Dale Clevenger.
As a soloist and chamber player, Aurora has performed with members of the MET Opera, been coached by members of the Shanghai and Latin American Quartets, and worked with composers such as Jeff Scott and Amy Reich.
A passionate advocate for music education and social change, Aurora is a former Orchestra of the Americas Global Leader Fellow and has served as faculty for missions in El Salvador and Chicago. During her studies, Aurora worked with several El-Sistema USA programs such as the Union City Music Project and the NJ El-Sistema Alliance.
Currently, Aurora is the Teaching Artist in Residence at SOPAC, and a Teaching Fellow with Music Mentors Collaborative in NYC.