Cristina Mendoza Padilla

Cristina Mendoza Padilla is the Director of Bands at Lone Star College-Montgomery in Conroe, Texas.  She directs the Jazz Ensemble and the Symphonic Band, and teaches courses in Music History and American Popular Music. Dr. Mendoza completed her DMA degree in Instrumental Conducting at the University of Houston in 2021, with her dissertation titled “Karel Husa’s Apotheosis of this Earth: A Conductor’s Guide to Preparation and Performance.” Cristina received a Master of Music degree in Trombone Performance and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of Notre Dame, where she was highly involved in the marching band, concert band, jazz band, and orchestra programs as an undergraduate and as a Graduate Assistant.  Additionally, Cristina earned All-Level Teacher Certification in Instrumental Music at The University of Texas at Austin.

Cristina's passion for Latin music styles as a performer and director, along with her love of dance, led her to try Zumba Fitness classes, and she earned her Zumba B1 license in 2019. Since then, she has also trained and become licensed in the Zumba Kids/Kids Jr. and Zumba Gold formats. She values her unique perspective as a musician, music director, and Zumba instructor and often integrates her experiences into her college rehearsals and Zumba classes alike.

Cristina and her husband, film producer Abbas Padilla, are avid world travelers and especially enjoy musical, cultural, and culinary experiences in the countries they visit.