Adolfo O. Mendoza finished his Bachelor of Music major in Bassoon Performance at the University of
Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music under Prof. Romeo Verayo. He studied with NHK principal bassoonist Prof. Koji Okazaki at the Elisabeth University of Music in Hiroshima Japan for his Master’s
degree. He was also a full scholar at the Hongkong Academy for the Performing Arts under Prof. Kam Sui, principal bassoonist of the Hongkong Philharmonic Orchestra. He finished his Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A. ) at Texas Tech University School of Music in Texas U.S.A in 2016 under Prof. Richard Meek.
He won second place at the National Music competition for young artist (NAMCYA) Solo Bassoon
Category C in 1992. He was also the bassoonist of the UST woodwind quintet , which won the first prize in the NAMCYA Chamber Music Category in 1993.
He was an active member and the principal bassoonist of the UST Symphony Orchestra, UST Symphonic Band and the UST Woodwind Quintet. He was also a winner of the International Student Music Competition for solo instrument in Tokyo Japan. Dr. Mendoza attended the ASEAN YOUTH SYMPHONIC BAND workshop held in Thailand and Singapore in 1992 and 1994. He joined the Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO) in 1996 which performed in Hongkong, Taiwan, Japan and in United States of America. He was also a member of the AYO woodwind quintet which performed at the White House in Washington D.C.
He was the Bassoonist of the musical Miss Saigon for its manila run at the Cultural Center of the
Philippines from September 2000 to March 2001 and in Hongkong and Singapore from March to August 2001.He also performed as Principal bassoon of PPO in its Europe tour to Austria, Czech Republic, Spain and Germany in 2001 and in Japan tour in September 2002.
He was featured at CCP’s Filipino Artist Series in 2002 with pianist Mary Ann Espina and as soloist of the PPO in the same year. He participated in the Manila Chamber Wind Concert Tour to Seoul Korea in November 2002. In 2003, he performed the Concerto for Bassoon by W.A. Mozart with the UST
Symphony Orchestra. He was featured artist at the at the 9th San Agustin International Music Festival
with Spanish Organist Miguel Gonzales in 2007. He attended the International Double Reed Society
Conference in Provo Utah, Oklahoma and Japan. He was a featured soloist at the PPO concert series in December 2016, where he premiered National Artist Antonino Buenaventura’s Bassoon Concerto. He also composed the Jubilee song of the province of Cavite.
Dr. Mendoza was the Music Director and Conductor of Lyceum Northwestern Chorale and Dagupan City Government Chorale. He is also the founder and the Conductor of the Philippine Pops Orchestra. He performed in Calgary and Edmonton Canada for a fund raising concert entitled “Our Music, Our Soul”. He also featured soloist of PPO Concert Series V held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in January 24, 2020 conducted by Yoshikazu Fukumura.
Dr. Mendoza is the principal Bassoonist of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, a faculty member of the University of Santo Tomas Conservatory of Music, Santa Isabel College of Music, St. Paul University manila and St. Scholastica’s College of Music.