Aurora Mendez

Born and raised in the Bronx, NYC, Aurora is a versatile violinist, educator, and advocate for innovation in classical music. Her orchestral engagements include performances with the New Jersey,

New Haven and Harrisburg symphonies (USA), the Latin Orchestra of Europe (Frankfurt, Germany), as well as serving as guest concertmaster with City Lyric Opera (NYC, NY).

During the summer months, Aurora has been a fellow at the Schleswig Holstein Music Festival (Germany), five time fellow at Spoleto Festival USA, Orchestra of the Americas, Marrowstone, Monteux, and NextFest Festivals. A passionate teacher, Aurora has taught extensively across the US and the Americas as an Orchestra of the Americas Global Leader Fellow, serving as violin faculty for residencies in El Salvador, Washington, DC, and Chicago, Illinois.

Currently, she serves as violin faculty with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Orchestra program and is a SOPAC Strings Teaching Artist serving students in the Orange, NJ school district. She holds a Performer's Certificate and BM in Violin Performance from the Cali School of Music at MSU under the tutelage of Prof. Mary Ann Mumm (Met Opera Orchestra).