Leia Sofia Mendez
Leia Sofia Mendez is a classically trained composer, violinist, and pianist with a passion for film scoring, music production, and orchestration. Her musical journey began with 11 years of studying music theory through the Trinity College of London program, where she achieved certificates of Distinction and Merit at the advanced level. Prior to her undergraduate years at the University of Delaware, Leia Sofia delved into music composition under the mentorship of Dr. Judah Adashi for three years at the Johns Hopkins Peabody Institute.
With a total of eight years in music composition and seventeen years of experience in violin and piano, Leia Sofia continued her studies at the University of Delaware under the guidance of Dr. Jennifer Margaret Barker and Professor Guillaume Combet, focusing on writing concert music and honing her skills as a violinist. Throughout her college career, she made the most of every opportunity to learn and grow as a composer. Even during the pandemic-induced lockdown, she seized the chance to enrich her musical education by immersing herself in learning Logic Pro X, a digital audio workstation, under the mentorship of Shareef Islam. She also expanded her knowledge through masterclasses taught by renowned film composers Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman on Masterclass.com, where she discovered the significance of hybrid scoring and sound design.
Leia Sofia's achievements are as impressive as her dedication to her craft. She recently graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor's degree in Music Composition from the School of Music, having been honored with the Distinguished Music Scholarship for her exceptional studies in music theory. In her freshman year, she won first place in the University of Delaware Double Reeds Composition Competition with her satirical composition titled ""I Have Tea.""
Passionate about astronomy and science, Leia Sofia composed ""Hubble's Wonders,"" an orchestral piece that paid tribute to the 30th anniversary of the Hubble Space Telescope in the spring of 2020. This composition was featured in a web seminar hosted by the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA). She also participated in the Wildflowers Composition Camp during that summer, which focused on amplifying the voices of gender-marginalized composers. During this program, she crafted a captivating solo violin piece titled ""Cautious Goodbye"" and collaborated for a second time with ATLYS, an all-female string quartet, on a composition titled ""Moving Forward,"" expressing her emotions during the pandemic.
Furthering her expertise in film scoring, Leia Sofia attended the GEMS Film Scoring Program in the summer of 2021 and 2022, where she honed her orchestration and melodic writing skills. Her compositions, ""The Bridge"" and a rescored version of the main title of ""Spider-Man 3"" (2007), were recorded by the Symphonic Orchestra of Spanish Radio Television. She also participated in NYU's Film Scoring workshop, re-scoring the ""Tea Cup Scene"" of the horror film ""Get Out,"" showcasing her ability to create music for dialogue scenes and her adeptness in orchestration and music technology.
Excitedly looking towards the future, Leia Sofia will be pursuing a Master's Degree in Screen Scoring at New York University, commencing in 2023. Her ambitions lie in establishing herself as a formidable presence in the film music industry.