Armando Mendoza is an acclaimed trumpet performer and conductor, originally from Puna, Hawaii, who has traveled the world studying music, performing, and conducting. Armando has been performing for over 30 years as a free-lance musician with a variety of groups including avant-garde and contemporary, jazz, rock-and-roll, and classical.

  Armando earned a Bachelor's degree in Music Education from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and a Master's degree in Trumpet Performance from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Southern California in Los Angeles for Doctoral training in music performance, and he also studied conducting at both the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

  Armando is a Conducting Fellow with the South Carolina Philharmonic. He also traveled to China where he conducted Mozart's Marriage of Figaro and Cossi fan Tutte with the National Opera Singers of Beijing, and Weber's Oberon Overture at the Xi'an Conservatory of Music.

   Armando has brought music into the lives of many students throughout the islands of Hawaii. On Kauai, he taught band at Kapaa Intermediate & High School. On The Big Island he taught band at Ka'u Intermediate & High School in Pahala, and since 1994 he has been the Band Director at Hilo High School. In addition, Armando served for 9 years as the Hawaii County Band Director, and as Acting Assistant Music Professor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

   In 2000, Armando traveled with his Hilo High School Band to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City. On a separate trip, he took the students to Orlando, Florida where they competed at Disney World and were awarded 2nd place for their concert performance.

   Audiences across The Big Island of Hawaii have enjoyed Armando performing in musicals since 1978. He is a regular musical performer for the theatrical productions on both the west and east side of Hawaii. He also performs with the Kamuela Philharmonic Orchestra. Armando lives with his family in Hilo.

E-mail: armando "at sign" konabrass.com