The native of Mozambique Stella Mendonça studied voice with Professor Louis-Jacques Rondeleux at the «Conservatoire National d’Art Dramatique» in Paris and Lyon. After her studies in France she perfectioned her singing with the Maestros Dennis Hall in Berne (Switzerland) and Magda Olivero in Barcelona (Spain), as well as her interpretation with Grace Bumbry in Salzburg (Austria). At the beginning of her career Stella Mendonça sang in France Stabat Mater/Pergolesi, La Petite Messe Solennelle/Rossini, Requiem/Fauré, Die Schöpfung/Haydn, Johannes Passion/Bach, as well as Mozart’s Requiem and Messe in C-Moll. In Portugal she performed Bachianas Brasileiras/Villa-Lobos for the Portuguese television RTP.

In 1997 she was invited to give a Belcanto Recital at the International Music Festival of Bellapais (North Cyprus) where she was accompanied by the pianist Paul Suits. In 1998 she gave a recital for the Lisbon World Exposition at the Julio Verne Theater, where in the following years she appeared several times interpreting Villa-Lobos, Viana de Motta, Donizetti und Verdi on the occasion of the “Festival International de Música de Algarve”. In 2003 and 2005 she sang a recital at Lausanne Cathedral for the Lausanne City Festival, interpreting composers as Debussy, De Falla und Villa-Lobos.

Her late Maestro Dennis Hall appointed her to take over his singing school “Garcia y Lamperti” in Berne.

Between 1998 and 2004 she made her debut as Mimì in La Bohème/Puccini respectively in the USA (Petersburg-Pennsylvania Opera House), in Brazil (Curiciba Opera House), in South Africa (Pretoria Opera House), as Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream/Britten inSwitzerland(Centre le Phoenix in Fribourg), as Bess in Porgy & Bess/Gershwin in Switzerland (Centre le Phoenix Fribourg) and as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana/Mascagni (Casino Interlaken) under the conductors Yannis Pouspourikas, Emmanuel Magat, Geoffrey Gallagher and Yves Cayrol.

In 2000 and 2001 Stella Mendonça gave belcanto recitals in the USA on invitation of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the Truman State University at Kirksville and the City of St. Louis, Missouri, as well as solidarity concerts for Mozambique at the United Nations Office at Geneva on the occasion of the big flooding.

In November 2001 and February 2002 she sang the main role in Verdi’s Aida (Concert version) in Lyon and Pontarlier (France) conducted by Erwin Magat, Pierre Treffail, and in Durban (South Africa) under the direction of John Kook.

In cooperation with the University of Pretoria (South Africa) and Maputo (Mozambique), Stella brought in 2002 the first Carmen (Bizet) production to Africa - she was not only acting as the Fundraising and Art Director, but also performing the main role as Carmen under the Swiss conductor Martin de Vargas.

Since 2004 she sang different concerts in Switzerland interpreting works by Verdi, Puccini and Mozart.

For 2007/2008 a concert tour with the «Orchestre Symphonique de Pontarlier» focussing on French opera arias is on schedule in France, Switzerland, South Africa and Mozambique.