Praised by The Strad Magazine for “warm sound [and] much joy”, violist Ivan Mendoza began his musical studies at the age of ten in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. He received his degree from John J. Cali School of Music under the tutelage of Honggang Li and Kathryn Lockwood. Recent notable engagements include a recital at Carnegie Hall, Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet with the Shanghai Quartet, the music of Charles Loeffler with soprano Barbara Dever and pianist Ron Levy, and performances at Encore Chamber Music Festival, Intersections Festival, and Bargemusic NYC.

An avid chamber musician, Ivan is a recipient of the Oscar Ravina Talent Grant and held chamber music residencies at Montclair State University, Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance, and Shenandoah Conservatory. He is a founding member of the Continuum Chamber Collective—an ensemble dedicated to performing works from underrepresented groups in classical music and regularly performs in the Washington D.C. and New York City areas. In addition, Ivan regularly appears with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, Reading Symphony, and the Virginia Symphony. Ivan is currently based in the Greater Washington DC/Baltimore area and is on the viola faculty of the Artsahimsa Chamber Music Festival in Lenox, Massachusetts.