Laura Silva Mendes is a Portuguese pianist/organist, who from studying piano and organ in her home country, and later Belgium, was accepted into the prestigious Royal College of Music in 2019.
She currently resides in London, where she now teaches private lessons in classical music performance. Though she specializes in classical music, she plays a variety of other musical styles including Film / TV music, Pop, Rock, & Bossa Nova.
Besides her teaching, Silva Mendes has played solo and orchestra/ensemble concerts in Portugal, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium and England. She is currently recording a new project to be released next year (2024) featuring organ music that has never been played, along with her schedule of concerts including playing at Saint-Sulpice, Paris.
In this interview, Laura gives us a glimpse into her musical journey, and how that now translates into her teaching.
How did you get into classical music?
Silva Mendes: “…I got to know classical music because my aunt was a professional musician, and I went to watch concerts with her. And it was because of her that my parents put me in music school and that’s how I started music.”
When did you start to love classical music?
Silva Mendes: “I always loved to play… I remember I had a mini piano, and I was playing by what I could hear, and I tried to repeat it, and then they [my parents] decided to put me in music school, so I could learn… I was always interested in music, always, since I was little…When I was like 14, I went to high school, but one that was directed to classical music; I did all my education in music. After that I went to Belgium, where I did my bachelors and masters in piano, and from there, let’s say that after I entered university, I knew that that was what I wanted for my life, and I did not stop.”
How does classical music influence how you play now?
Silva Mendes: “When I was in high school, I had a pop-rock band, where I played the piano … but I don’t focus [on pop-rock]; for the professional part, I play classical, but I really like to play jazz and pop rock music, that’s combined for me…”.
“…In the technical aspect, for you to play good pop-rock, or good jazz, I think you need to have good classical training… the basics…. they complement each other. It is a plus when you know how to play both styles.”
Any advice for younger classical musicians who want to go into making modern music?
Silva Mendes: “…I think a little bit of both [classical and modern] would be ideal…doing some technical aspects of the classical will help you play like scales and arpeggios… you use all of these in pop, rock, and jazz. That will help your technique…and you can then play whatever you want, if you have that technique… I think it will be a very good combination and will help you for sure.”
What is the one thing you like to leave with the students you teach?
Silva Mendes: “…I want them to enjoy playing, and not ‘oh, you have to do this for exam.’… That’s why I ask them what they prefer to play. I have mostly classical students, but I try to also teach them songs that they like, that are not classical…from time to time, so they also get to know something new…. First, you need to enjoy playing; that’s the main thing. I teach them to learn about music, how to enjoy it, and how to be creative.”