8 Time Grammy award winning composer-arranger Vince Mendoza has been at the forefront of the jazz and contemporary music scene as a composer, conductor and recording artist for the last 30 years. He has written scores of compositions and arrangements for big band, chamber and symphonic settings while his jazz composing credits read like a “who's who” of the best modern instrumentalists and singers in the world today.

Mendoza's arranging has appeared on many critically acclaimed projects that include dozens of albums with song writing legends and vocalists such as Björk, Gregory Porter, Chaka Khan, Elvis Costello, Alejandro Sanz, Al Jarreau, Diana Krall, Melody Gardot, Sting and Joni Mitchell. He has 8 Grammy awards and 38 nominations.

Mendoza’s new recording “Olympians” with the Netherlands Metropole Orkest, (BMG Modern Recordings) offers fresh, masterful readings of his compositions, featuring the orchestra with Dianne Reeves, Cécile McLorin Salvant and Saxophonist Chris Potter. His 2021 recording “Freedom Over Everything” features Master Emcee Black Thought and soprano Julia Bullock while weaving his individual approach to jazz rhythms and instrumental colors through a grand symphonic tapestry.

Mendoza is the composer in residence with the West Deutsche Rundfunk in Koln and the Conductor Laureate of the Metropole Orkest, of which he was Chief Conductor for 9 seasons. He is the VARA (Sweden) artist in residence, and professor of jazz composition at the USC Thornton School of Music in Los Angeles. In addition, he appeared as a guest conductor with the Los Angeles and New York Philharmonic, as well as other orchestras throughout Europe, the U.S., Japan, Scandinavia, and the U.K.

Mendoza has also written commissioned compositions and arrangements for the Turtle Island String Quartet, Brooklyn Rider, the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, the Berlin Philharmonic, Metropole Orkest, Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles Philharmonic and the BBC. He has performed at the Monterey, Montreux, Berlin and North Sea Jazz Festivals.