Biography
Isadora is a cellist who is active in the San Diego area. She has over 17 years of classical training in cello and two performance degrees. She performs across a wide range of musical settings—from symphony orchestras, musical theater pits, to rock bands, jazz groups, mariachi ensembles, and contemporary music projects.
Isadora started her cello studies at eight years old. She accredits her musical influences and expression to her diverse travels and unique experiences. Isadora has studied music with professional musicians all over the world, including the countries Japan, Italy, Austria, and Germany.
In 2025, she earned her master’s degree in cello performance at San Diego State University under the guidance of San Diego Symphony’s principal cellist, Yao Zhao. There, she led the cello section as principal cellist in the SDSU Symphony for 2 consecutive years. In 2022, Isadora earned a bachelor’s degree in cello performance with honors from Bob Cole Conservatory at California State University Long Beach under the guidance of Joon Sung Jun.
During her graduate studies, Isadora conducted research on autistic musicians, and presented her findings at the annual 2023 SDSU Student Symposium. She is passionate about neurodiversity advocacy and research, which she utilizes in her teaching philosophy and commitment to inclusive music education.
In August 2025, Isadora Flores and her colleagues Thalia Rojas and Diego Guerra co-founded Bougainvillea Strings, a local event string trio.
Isadora’s musicality and performance is riveting, unapologetic, and begs to question the rules of what can be done with the cello as predetermined by western classical standards.
Today, she maintains an active career performing, recording, and teaching in the San Diego area.
Education
California State University Long Beach (CSULB)
Bachelor of Music (B.M.), Performance, Concentration in Strings, cum laude
2025
San Diego State University (SDSU)
Master of Music (M.M.), Performance, Concentration in Strings
2022
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La Jolla Symphony│2025-Present
Bougainvillea Strings (Co-founder and Cellist)│2025-Present
San Diego State Symphony Orchestra (Principal Chair)│2022-2025
San Diego State Chamber Orchestra (Principal Chair)│2023-2025
San Diego State Advanced Chamber Group│2023-2024
Bob Cole Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra│2018-2022
Amici Concert Artist Cello Ensemble│ 2018- 2022
SWARMIUS │2024-Present
Coronado Playhouse│2024-Present
San Diego Philharmonia │2024-Present
Amicitia Chamber Orchestra│2024-Present
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Masterclass with Santiago Cañón Valencia│May 2024
(Flores I. , 2023) “Autistic Musicality: Viewed Through the Lens of the Neurodiversity Model of Autism” Selected to give presentation at the 16th Annual San Diego State University Student Symposium │ March 3, 2023
Music Scholarship at Bob Cole Conservatory (CSULB)│2018-2022
1st place in the Music Teachers' Association of California (MTAC) Solo Competition, Monterey CA │ 2018
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Musical: Perfect Pitch, Music Composition and Songwriting, Recording, Improvisation, Music Theory, Teaching, Multi-Instrumentalist
Technical: MacOS, Windows, MS Office Suite, Finale, GarageBand, Logic, Audacity
Other: Leadership, team-work, collaboration, adaptability, dedication, attention to detail, research