Juanjo Mena
CONDUCTORBIO
Juanjo Mena began his conducting career in his native Spain as Artistic Director of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra in 1999. His uncommon talent was soon recognized internationally with the Bergen Philharmonic appointing him Principal Guest Conductor and the Orchestra del Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa Chief Guest Conductor. In 2011 he was named Chief Conductor of the BBC Philharmonic which he had led for seven seasons, taking the orchestra on tours of Europe and Asia and conducting annual televised concerts at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms. His BBC tenure featured, notably, “thrilling” (The Guardian) performances of Bruckner Symphonies, a cycle of Schubert Symphonies, and set new standards for the interpretation of both well-known and less-performed Spanish and South American repertoire. He currently serves as Principal Conductor of the Cincinnati May Festival, the longest running choral festival in North America, where he has been expanding the scope of the legendary organization with new commissions and community engagement.
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A sought-after guest conductor, Juanjo Mena has led Europe’s top ensembles including the Berlin Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Orchestra, Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig, London Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and the Dresden Philharmonic among others. He appears regularly with all the major orchestras in his native Spain.
Following his North American debut with the Baltimore Symphony in 2004, he has conducted most of the continent’s leading orchestras. They include the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, Minnesota Orchestra, National Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Montreal Symphony and Toronto Symphony Orchestras. In Asia, he is a regular guest conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo.
In the 21/22 season, Juanjo Mena returns to conduct the Pittsburgh Symphony, National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC, Montreal Symphony, Oslo Philharmonic and the Bergen Philharmonic, and debuts with the Atlanta Symphony, Gürzenich Orchestra in Cologne and the Japan Philharmonic. In the 20/21 season, heavily affected by the pandemic, he returned to conduct the Gewandhaus Orchestra Leipzig and the NHK Symphony, among others. In June 2022 at Madrid’s Teatro Real, Mena will lead performances of the new production of Arthur Honegger’s Joan of Arc at the Stake paired with Debussy’s La damoiselle élue.
His operatic work includes Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, Richard Strauss’ Salome, Elektra, Ariadne auf Naxos, Bartók’s Duke Bluebeard’s Castle and Schoenberg’s Erwartung as well as productions of Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin in Genoa, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro in Lausanne, and Beethoven’s Fidelio and Britten’s Billy Budd in Bilbao.
Juanjo Mena’s latest recording is Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6 with the BBC Philharmonic released by Chandos. The Classical Review praised it as “intensely musical,” “impressive” and with a spectacular sound. Mena’s rich discography with the BBC Philharmonic on Chandos also includes an acclaimed Gabriel Pierné release selected as a Gramophone Editor’s Choice, Weber Symphonies, Ginastera’s orchestral works to mark the composer’s centenary, and new reference recordings of largely overlooked Spanish repertoire including Arriaga’s orchestral pieces, works by Albéniz, Montsalvatge and Turina, as well as three discs of works by Manuel de Falla featuring his opera La Vida Breve. In 2012 Juanjo Mena recorded Messiaen’s Turangalîla Symphony with the Bergen Philharmonic for the Hyperion label, a disc said to “utterly redefine the terms under which past/current/future Turangalîlas need to be judged” (Gramophone).
Juanjo Mena studied conducting with Sergiu Celibidache following his musical education at the Madrid Royal Conservatory where he was mentored by Carmelo Bernaola and Enrique García Asensio. In 2016, he was awarded the Spanish National Music Award. He lives with his family in his native Basque Country.
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Juanjo Mena conducts the BBC Philharmonic at BBC Proms
Juanjo Mena returns to the Royal Albert Hall on the 18 July to conduct the BBC Philharmonic at the BBC Proms. The evening begins with Webern’s orchestration of Bach’s Ricercar a 6, and James MacMillan’s Viola Concerto, with its dedicatee Lawrence Power as soloist. The climax of the concert is Bruckner’s mighty Sixth Symphony, which Mena recorded with the BBC Philharmonic to great critical acclaim.
leer másLong-awaited debut of Juanjo Mena at the Teatro Real in Madrid with «Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher»
The oratorio will be performed on June 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16 and 17, with a cast led by French actress Marion Cotillard.
Alongside Honegger’s work, Mena will conduct La Damoiselle Élue by Debussy
leer másJuanjo Mena and the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya at the Barcelona Auditori
Danzas para Don Quijote by Robert Gerhard, Concerto for cello and orchestra No. 1 by C. Saint-Saëns and the extraordinary Symphonie Fantastique op 14 by H. Berlioz will sound at the Barcelona Auditori on Saturday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m. and on Sunday the 10th at 11:00 a.m.
leer másJUANJO MENA. The power of versatility.
The 2021/2022 season of maestro Juanjo Mena is marked by important events. The Symphony Orchestras of Montreal, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Washington and Cincinnati, along with the Philharmonics of Japan, Oslo and Bergen, among others, will be visited once again by the most...
leer másJuanjo Mena pays tribute to Jesús Guridi by conducting El Caserío at the Teatro de la Zarzuela
After visiting the Teatro Filarmonico dof Verona on September 15 with the Orquesta Nacional de España with an important program that included works by Manuel de Falla, Joaquín Rodrigo and Maurice Ravel, maestro Juanjo Mena turns to honor the great composer of Vitoria...
leer másJuanjo Mena, tour with the London Philharmonic Orchestra
Zaragoza, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Madrid and London are the cities in which Maestro Mena will conduct eight concerts with several programs, with Mozart and Beethoven as protagonists, leading the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The tour starts on February 15 at...
leer másJuanjo Mena culminates his last season in the BBC Philharmonic with Spanish music
La música española es la gran protagonista en el último concierto de la temporada de la BBC Philharmonic, bajo la dirección de Juanjo Mena. En este programa, que incluye obras de Isaac Albéniz y Manuel de Falla, Mena cuenta con importantes solistas españoles y el Coro...
leer másJuanjo Mena: Unstoppable
Juanjo Mena comienza el 2018 ya con un rotundo éxito al frente de la Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra y la Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, pero su actividad continúa imparable al frente de las principales orquesta europeas y americanas. En el mes de febrero, el...
leer másJuanjo Mena to visit two of the greatest Spanish festivals
El director de orquesta Juanjo Mena regresa a España en agosto con la BBC Philharmonic, orquesta de la que es Director Titular. Tras sus apariciones en julio en los Proms londinenses, el día 21 con la versión sinfónica de Fidelio de Beethoven y el 27 con la 6ª...
leer másJuanjo Mena, once again at the BBC Proms
El maestro Juanjo Mena regresa este verano a los célebres Proms londinenses, uno de los festivales más reconocidos y esperados en el ámbito de la música clásica. Los paseos musicales de este año 2017, que alcanzan con esta su edición número 123, contarán un año más...
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