Hi, I’m Lily, co-founder of Mandolas Vegas LLC, and I’d love to share the story of how our musical journey began. It all started with Jordan (my business partner) and me bonding over the mandolin at a local music shop where we worked together. I was a counter clerk, and he taught private lessons in the back room. One day, between lessons, Jordan was playing a mandolin while he waited for his next student. He was always playing an instrument you don’t see or hear every day, and that day it happened to be a mandolin.

 

At the time, I was listening to a lot of bluegrass and was completely enamored with the fiddle and, most of all, the mandolin. I’m a classically trained violist and had wanted a mandolin for a while. I knew the mandolin shared the same tuning as the violin, and violin isn’t too far off from viola, so it felt like a natural fit. I started asking Jordan about the mandolin—how much they cost and where to buy one—since the shop we worked at didn’t carry them.

 

He asked me, “Don’t you play viola?”
I said, “Yes, I do.”
He replied, “Why get a mandolin when you can get a mandola?”
I said, “What? A mandola?”
He laughed and said, “You’ve never heard of a mandola?! Mandolin is like a violin with G–D–A–E strings. Mandola is like a viola with C–G–D–A strings. It has the same range as a viola, but with double C–G–D–A strings, and you pick it like a guitar.”
Viola is not exactly a popular instrument, so I never imagined there would be a mandolin version of it. Jordan, clearly thrilled to share this, said, “If you buy a mandola, I’ll buy a mandola!” I thought about it for a second and decided, “Deal!”

 

Within about a month, we both had our own mandolas. We immediately started meeting up after work several days a week to sight-read through books of music. Before long, Jordan purchased more instruments, and the collection grew to include more mandolins, octave mandolins, more mandolas, a ten‑string mandolin, and mandocellos.

 

Then we began inviting friends, colleagues, and students who played violin, viola, and cello to come try the plucked versions of their instruments. Over time, we built a whole group of mandolin players who now volunteer their time every Saturday evening at St. Rose Hospital – Siena Campus. We haven’t missed a single Saturday since October 19, 2024.

 

We’ve loved bringing the sounds of the mandolin family to the lobby and halls of St. Rose Hospital. We’ve shared so many special moments with staff, patients, and visitors—moments that have touched our hearts forever. We wouldn’t trade what we do for anything. It’s been a real joy to brighten people’s days at the hospital.

 

We wanted to do even more with and for the talented members of our mandolin group, and that’s when we decided to start a company. Since we began with two mandolas in Las Vegas, we named our company MANDOLAS VEGAS LLC. We specialize first and foremost in music education and community‑focused performances, bringing the world of mandolins to the Las Vegas Valley in all kinds of musical styles.