Biography
Rita Mendes studied violin at the National Conservatory of Lisbon and continued her studies at the Rotterdam Conservatoire (Holland), where she graduated in violin pedagogy. She studied methodology with Peter de Leeuw (Rotterdam Conservatoire), Johannes Lievaart (Suzuki Method), Joyce Tan (Utrecht Conservatoire) and Qui van Woerdekom. She taught at music schools in Santarém, Tomar, Rotterdam, Woerden, Gouda and Zoetermeer.
She attended courses in pedagogy with Sheila Nelson (Guildhall School of Music and Drama), Caty Shepheard (teacher at the Musik Hochschule Dusseldorf) and with the founders of the Colour Strings method (East Helsinki Music Institute).
After returning to Portugal, she was Pedagogical Director of the Conservatoire of Leiria and violin teacher in Linda-a-Velha.
She is the founder of the Feast of Violins, promoting events of spreading violin learning throughout Portugal and Holland.
She was invited to bring this project to Cape Verde (in the presence of representatives from UNESCO) and in workshops organized by ESTA (European String Teachers Association).
Currently she is leading projects of violin teaching in groups in Fundação O Século (Violinos do Século) and Museu do Oriente (Lisbon – Violinos do Oriente).
Support
The creation of this project was only possible thanks to the collaboration of innumerable friends, in the Netherlands and in Portugal.
The violins were bought and repaired by the luthiers Robert Walters in Rotterdam, the Bouman family in The Hague, Judith Bauer, Mr Rodrigues and Maria José Sebastião in Lisbon.
The logo was created by Planeta Tangerina. Pedro Senna Nunes and Adolfo Estrada made the videos. The photographers Edward Susanna, Margie Geerlinks, Peter Vinken and Kim Schonewille, made their photographs available. The website was conceived and designed by Maria Trigo.