Maria Eduarda Mendes Martins is a music teacher of voice, piano, theory & composition, and a director and composer who started her piano studies in 2006, in the south of Brazil – her country of birth.
Inspired by her acquired knowledge, Maria understood that playing the piano and making music every day was what she wanted for her life, which led her to initiate a bachelors degree in Music Composition in March of 2008, at Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS). In 2009, Maria started teaching music theory/ear training and harmony to adult members of her community, expanding this practice to teaching children as well, since her arrival in Canada.
In 2013, Maria received fellowships to pursue a master’s degree in music composition at University of Victoria where she continued her teaching practices, starting also her activities as a conductor, and as a soprano specialized in contemporary music. Since then, Maria has conducted community ensembles, choirs, and the UVic orchestra, gave Canadian premieres of solo vocal pieces written by renowned composers of New Music, and her music has been played in Canada, Brazil, Argentina, U.S., and The Netherlands.