Pedro Mendez

On Stage

Pedro Mendez was born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. Mendez began his musical journey through the internationally acclaimed El Sistema. He earned a diploma in violin performance from the Vicente Emilio Sojo Conservatory in 2015 before transitioning to viola and completing his Bachelor of Music in viola performance at Roosevelt University in Chicago, where he studied with Li-Kuo Chang and Roland and Almita Vamos.

Prior to joining the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Mendez held the Viola Fellow position with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for two years. He also held the position of Assistant Principal Viola with the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed as a substitute with top-tier ensembles including the Nashville Symphony, Charleston Symphony, Chicago Philharmonic, Fort Worth Symphony, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and played Principal Viola with the San Antonio Orchestra. He also performed with the chamber orchestra A Far Cry, where he took part in the recording of a piece by Jessie Montgomery that later won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition. In that project, he played a leading role as Assistant Principal Viola contributing to the group’s collaborative approach without a conductor.

Mendez has been a fellow at several distinguished festivals and training programs, including the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Classical Tahoe, and the Chicago Sinfonietta, and served as Principal Viola of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago from 2021-23.

Mendez is also an experienced educator, having taught at the Vicente Emilio Sojo Conservatory, in EL Sistema, the Centroccidental University “Lisandro Alvarado,” and the Academia Latinoamericana de Violin. He continues his educational work in the US through his current involvement with the DSO’s youth and community programs: Young String and Young Musicians Program.