ARSMUSICA - Key Persons
A Trinidad Music Festival prizewinner, Ms. Mendez hosted her own radio show "Cherry Sings" on Radio Trinidad as a teenager. After singing for Marion Anderson in Trinidad, Ms. Anderson's accompanist Franz Rupp, recommended Ms. Mendez to participate in the Marion Anderson Vocal Competition in Philadelphia. An influential figure in the New York music scene, Mr. Rupp also recommended Ms. Mendez to Lotte Leonard at the the Mannes College of Music in New York City where Ms. Mendez was given a scholarship. Ms. Mendez continued her studies at the University of Toronto. Her teacher was baritone Louis Quilico. She also studied with Daniel Ferro (The Juilliard School) and Shirley Verrett(The University of Michigan). She has appeared in concert at the White Mountains Festival in New Hampshire, Queen's Hall in Trinidad, the Purcell Room in London England, and the Gubbio Festival in Italy. Her first Toronto role was in the show "Africa in the Caribbean". Ms. Mendez also won Queens of the Bands in the Caribana festival and later served as a judge in the calypso competition.
As the founder of ArsMusica Community Concerts, Ms. Mendez has presented a series of concerts since 1994 at Heliconian Hall, The Arts & Letters Club, University of Toronto Hart House, York University, The Columbus Centre, The Church of St. George the Martyr, St. Michaels and All Angels, The 1st Unitarian Congregation, Orangeville Opera House, The Stone Church, and Mt. Dennis United Church.
As an educator, Ms. Mendez has taught a diverse and successful group of voice students from the opera, music theater, theater, and film genres including Victor Micallef (The Tenors), Ryan Harper, Brainerd Blyden-Taylor (Nathaniel Dett Chorale) and even comedian Jim Carrey!
Ms. Mendez has also served as a guest soloist at the Laval Quebec Choral Festival and the Singing Together Festival( A celebration of cultural diversity through choral music)
In 2015, in collaboration with the Singing Together Festival, Ms. Mendez successfully led a 40 member choir tour to Italy with Maestros Colin Mendez Morris and Daniele Colla, culminating with appearances at the Cantus Angeli Choral Festival and a tour along the Amalfi coast.
A video Demo of Ms. Mendez can be seen here.
Job Titles:
- Artistic Director
- Music Director
A composer, conductor, and filmmaker, Colin Mendez Morris began his studies on trombone and attended the Tanglewood Festival where he attended masterclasses by composers Gunther Schuller and Leonard Bernstein. After his second summer at Tanglewood he was admitted directly into Boston University to study trombone with a minor in composition. He next enrolled at the New School of Music in New York, studying trombone with Per Brevig, and theory and analysis with Eric Wen. Following his undergraduate studies, Mr Mendez Morris enrolled in the Conductor's Workshop at the Royal Conservatory of Music, studying composition with Alexander Rapoport. He participated in conducting masterclasses with Victor Feldbrill, Simon Streatfield and Jose Louis Garcia. He has also participated in masterclasses with Pierre Hétu at Le Domaine Forget summer festival in Quebec. Mr Mendez Morris then served as assistant conductor to Maestro Bernhard Klee in Germany and the United States. He assisted Maestro Klee for a European Tour with the German National Youth Orchestra, Don Giovanni at the Hamburg Staatsoper and appearances with the Montreal Symphony, the Milwaukee Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the Orchestra of St. Luke's at Carnegie Hall. Mr Mendez Morris completed a residency at the Munich Biennale International Festival for New Music Theater under Dr Peter Ruzicka. He has also arranged and premiered work by composer Ellis Marsalis (Some Children See Him)with ArsMusica in Toronto. Mr Mendez Morris has completed a graduate certificate in Film from Staffordshire University. His academic work includes a study of the Magic Flute Films of Ingmar Bergman and Kenneth Branagh, as well as a re-imagining of the Dido and Aeneas based on Henry Purcell's opera. As a composer, Mr Mendez Morris has just been awarded funding from the Canada Council for completion of his opera Joshua, based on the life story of Joshua Glover. He also is active as a Director of Livestream video performances of opera, chamber music, and jazz.