Carla Mendoza Trejo

viola

Hometown: Liverpool, U.K.

Alma maters: Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, B.M., 2022; The Pennsylvania State University, P.P.C., 2023; M.M., 2025

Photo credit

Was there a teacher who was particularly impactful/helpful? What made this instructor stand out?

I have to say Dr. Louise Lansdown and Dr. Timothy Deighton. Both of them are incredible violists and taught me great work ethic, as well as challenging me beyond what I thought to be my limits. Furthermore, they aided me in building a toolkit to independently solve technical issues and create convincing musical decisions.

How did you hear about TŌN? What inspired you to apply?

Through the Musical Chairs website. What inspired me to apply was wanting to get a sense of the real world of classical music, whilst still learning through coaches and different environments on what it takes to get an orchestral seat.

What is your proudest achievement as a musician?

So far, I would say getting a seat in The Orchestra Now!

Tell us about a time you almost gave up but didn’t.

During my undergraduate degree, performance anxiety became so inhibiting that I would constantly get intense bow shakes. However, due to talking about it and finding out that I wasn’t alone in this feeling, made me keep going to find what works for me when battling nerves and using every performance to experiment in finding that ease.

Do you have a favorite non-classical musician or band?

I tend to listen to a wide variety of styles, but my favorite artists at the moment are Laufey, The Beatles, Wasia Project, and Bob Dylan.

What is a surprising part of playing your instrument that you think most people don’t know?

Enduring viola jokes . . . constantly!

What advice would you give your younger self or anyone starting out?

Remember to have fun, despite it being a truly challenging field. Keep working at what you want to achieve and never let anything or anyone hold you back!