American harpist Anna Maria Mendieta enjoys a busy career as a soloist, orchestral musician, recording artist and teacher. She is the principal harpist with the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera and has performed with many symphony orchestras and chamber music groups in the United States and abroad including the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera & Ballet, Russian National Orchestra, and Russian State Ballet. Ms. Mendieta is often featured performing the harp concerti of Joaquin Rodrigo as well as special tango arrangements created for her for harp & orchestra. She has received international recognition as a pioneer and “exceptional soloist” by the League of American Orchestras for her premiere of the tango music of Astor Piazzolla making history with the unique programming and use of harp in this musical style. Her Harp-Tango project “Tango Del Cielo” (Tango of Heaven) has become an award-winning international touring show, an award-winning album and the focus of a documentary film. The show was featured at the 2019 World Tango Festival in Victoria, Canada. As an advocate of contemporary music, Ms. Mendieta previously served a long tenure as the principal harpist with the nationally acclaimed Women’s Philharmonic. She was also the featured instrumentalist for several seasons with Theater Flamenco of San Francisco. A frequent winner of the San Francisco Symphony’s Adventures in Music program, she continues to perform innovative outreach programs for the San Francisco Symphony. Ms. Mendieta has performed for motion pictures, television, and national radio.