Juanjo Mena, conductor
Juanjo Mena (Vitoria 1965) is one of the most interesting Spanish conductors of his generation. He studies composition with C. Bernaola and orchestra conducting with Enrique García Asensio and Sergiu Celibidache, commencing a brilliant artistic career which leads him in 1999 to being Principle Conductor of the Joven Orquesta de Euskalherría and Associate Conductor of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Euskadi.He has conducted the Bucharest Philharmonic, Staatsphilarmonie Rheinland-Pfaltz, Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, A. Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della RAI, with which he worked very closely, La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra of Milan, Baltimore Symphony, Berner Symphonie, Münchner Rundfunkorchester, Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Filarmónica de Santiago de Chile, Orquesta Nacional de España, Orquesta Sinfónica de RTVE, Orquesta de Valencia, Filarmónica de Málaga, Real Filharmonía de Galicia, Orquesta Sinfónica de Barcelona y Nacional de Cataluña, Real Orquesta Sinfónica de Sevilla, Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria and Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturias collaborating with renowned soloists such as: Aldo Ciccolini, Emanuel Ax, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Julian Rachlin, Rudolf Buchbinder, Joshua Bell, Mischa Maisky, Pepe Romero, Ruth Ziesak, Frank Peter Zimmermann, Steven Isserlis, Gérard Caussé, Asier Polo, Viktoria Mullova and Truls Mørk, among others.
He conducted successfully Wagner's Der Fliegende Holländer , R. Strauss's Salome and Schönberg's Erwartung at the ABAO (Spain), Mozart' Le Noze de Figaro at the Opera de Lausanne (Sweeden), Tchaikovsky' Evgenij Onegin (Teatro Carlo Felice di Genova)
He has toured Japan with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao where he obtained brilliant public and critical acclaim.
His future works include concerts with the Philadelphia Orchestra ,BBC Philharmonic, Oslo Philharmonic, Oregon Symphony, National Symphony in Washington, , D.C, Indianapolis Symphony, Lyon National Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Queensland Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra (Australia), Orquesta de Euskadi, Real Filharmonía de Galicia, Orquesta Sinfónica de Radio Televisión Española as well as new invitations to conduct the Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Orchestra Teatro Carlos Felice de Geneva, Bergen Philharmonic, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionalle della RAI, Baltimore Symphony, Orquesta Nacional de España, among others. Juanjo Mena masters a very wide repertoire and various operas such as Elektra de R. Strauss, Bluebeard's castle de Bartok...
From 1999 to 2008 Juanjo Mena was Principle Conductor and Artistic Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao. Since 2007 he is Principal Guest Conductor of Teatro Carlo Felice de Génova (Italy) and from 2008 Principal Guest conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.
From 1999 to 2008 Juanjo Mena was Principle Conductor and Artistic Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao. Since 2007 he is Principal Guest Conductor of Teatro Carlo Felice de Génova (Italy) and from 2008 Principal Guest conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra.
