Joanna Mendoza joined the Arianna String Quartet and the music faculty of the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2008. In addition to teaching applied music and chamber music, Ms. Mendoza also teaches upper level music history and co-teaches an interdisciplinary course in the Pierre Laclede Honors College with UMSL Professor of Chemistry James Bashkin. Her work as a performer, recording artist, and teacher takes her across the U.S. and abroad. The Arianna Quartet’s recent recordings of the two Janacek Quartets, and the Early and Middle Beethoven Quartets, which were all released on Centaur Records, received critical acclaim. Prior to joining the Arianna Quartet, Ms. Mendoza was a ten-year member of the Harrington String Quartet that was featured in a PBS documentary, A Sound Collaboration: The Harrington String Quartet, and recorded a Grammy-nominated album of the works of Daniel McCarthy.

Ms. Mendoza received her training at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and at the Juilliard School.