Mendieta has also been featured as an instrumentalist for several seasons with Theater Flamenco of San Francisco. She has performed with several symphony orchestras in the United States and internationally. Some of the ensembles she has worked with include: •
San Francisco Symphony •
San Francisco Opera •
San Francisco Ballet •
Russian National Orchestra • Russian State Ballet
Harp-Tango project In the 1990s, Mendieta became fascinated with Argentine tango but discovered that there was no music for the harp. Argentine tradition had kept classical instruments, like the harp, largely separate from the genre. Mendieta created her own arrangements and invented a new technique, one that allowed the harp to execute the difficult chromatic passages and percussive effects characteristic of tango music. She was influenced by
Nuevo Tango— a sub-genre that combined tango, jazz, and modern classical, developed by
Astor Piazzolla. Mendieta also studied tango dance. Her "Harp-Tango" project has evolved into a multimedia touring concert-show called "Tango Del Cielo", which presents a fusion of tango and flamenco with a tribute to the silent films. Tango Del Cielo was the featured show at the 2019 World Tango Festival in
Victoria, Canada. The
Tango Del Cielo for Harp & Orchestra has won 9 international awards, including 4 Global Music Awards, and reached #2 on Billboard's Classical Crossover Charts. ==Awards and honors==