Anna Maria Mendieta enjoys a busy career as a soloist, orchestral musician, recording artist and teacher. She has performed for many symphony orchestras and chamber music groups in the U.S. and abroad including the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera & Ballet, Russian National Orchestra, Russian State Ballet, LA Philharmonic, Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera and others. Ms. Mendieta is often featured performing the harp concerti of Joaquin Rodrigo as well as special tango arrangements created for her for harp & orchestra. She has received international recognition as a pioneer and "exceptional soloist" by the League of American Orchestras for her premiere of the tango music of Astor Piazzolla making history with the unique programming and use of harp in this musical style. Ms. Mendieta has served a long tenure as the principal harpist with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera and previously was the principal harpist with the nationally acclaimed Women’s Philharmonic. She is a frequent winner of the San Francisco Symphony’s Adventures in Music program and continues to perform innovative outreach programs for the symphony. Ms. Mendieta has performed for motion pictures, television, radio, and Emmy Awards. Her HarpTango project has become an international touring concert-show called “Tango del Cielo” (Tango of Heaven), an award-winning album, and is the focus of a documentary film. The show was the featured show for the 2019 World Tango Festival in Victoria, Canada. Her Tango Del Cielo album has won numerous international awards and a #2 spot on Billboard’s Classical Crossover Charts.                

Collaboration. Grammy Award-winners Jorge Calandrelli, Pablo Ziegler and Daniel Binelli, experts of the tango music of Astor Piazzolla, have composed music and arrangements for Anna Maria. This music is featured her recent album produced at Skywalker Ranch as the first of its kind of Argentine Tango music for harp & orchestra.

Discography. Ms. Mendieta’s album “Tango Del Cielo” has won 11 international awards, including four Global Music Awards and was #2 on Billboard’s Classical Crossover Chart. She records for movie sound tracks at Lucasfilm/Disney’s Skywalker Sound. Anna Maria has also participated on many other recording projects, she was a signed artist for Sugo Records with the successful release of several albums. Other projects include most notably “The Women’s Philharmonic” and “Florence Price”, Koch International Classics label, “The Music of Chen Yi”, New Albion label, with the San Francisco Girls Chorus, and with Grammy Award winning Pacific Boy Choir. She is featured on the National Geographic Society album “Serenity – Songs of Peace and Enlightenment”.

Education. Ms. Mendieta began studying the harp at the age of seven at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music with Israeli harpist Efrat Zaklad. She continued her studies with Marjorie Chauvel and received her degree in music with honors from Notre Dame de Namur University, where she later served on the faculty. Extensive private study followed with San Francisco Symphony harpist Doug Rioth and renowned harp teacher Alice Chalifoux at the Salzedo Harp Colony in Camden, Maine. 

Awards and Honors.  In recognition of her Spanish heritage, Anna Maria was invited by the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to perform solo concerts for National Hispanic Week in Washington D.C.  She has been honored to perform for Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, the King and Queen of Spain, President Bill Clinton, and President Gorbachev. Ms. Mendieta has been honored by the American Harp Society to perform as a soloist for their 2006 National Conference and in 2013 was awarded a special grant commission for a concerto to be composed for her. Ms. Mendieta is the only harpist to have twice received the “Matz Memorial Award” from by Lyon & Healy Harp Co. for “Outstanding Achievement”.

Celebrity Spotlight. Anna Maria enjoys performing concerts and shows with celebrity entertainers and is often given the spotlight.  She has shared the stage with opera singer Frederica von Stade, performed with Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, Frank Sinatra Jr., Johnny Mathis, Olivia Newton John, Fernando de la Mora, The Moody Blues, and song-writer/entertainer Barry Manilow who calls her his “favorite harpist”.