Juanjo Mena (born Juan José Mena; born 21 September 1965) is a Spanish
conductor.
Biography
Mena was born in
Vitoria-Gasteiz
Vitoria-Gasteiz (; ; also historically spelled Vittoria in English) is the seat of government and the capital city of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country and of the provinces of Spain, province of Álava in northern Spain. I ...
, in the
Basque Country, where he began his music studies at the Vitoria-Gasteiz Conservatory. He later attended the
Madrid Royal Conservatory, where his teachers included
Carmelo Bernaola (composition and orchestration) and
Enrique García Asensio (conducting). He also studied conducting with
Sergiu Celibidache
Sergiu Celibidache (; ; 13 August 1996) was a Romanian people, Romanian Conducting, conductor, composer, musical theorist, and teacher. Educated in his native Romania, and later in Paris and Berlin, Celibidache's career in music spanned over fi ...
in Munich on a Guridi-Bernaola scholarship. In 1997, the
Basque Government selected Mena to form the Youth Orchestra of
Euskal Herria. He subsequently became associate conductor of the
Euskadi Symphony Orchestra.
From 1999 to 2008, Mena was artistic director and principal conductor of the
Bilbao Symphony Orchestra. With the Bilbao orchestra, he conducted commercial recordings for
Naxos Records
Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...
of music by
Jesús Guridi and
Andrés Isasi. His guest-conducting debut in North America was with the
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore SO has its principal residence at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where it performs more than 130 concerts a year. In 2005, ...
in 2004. Mena served as principal guest conductor of the
Teatro Carlo Felice, Genoa from 2007 to 2010. He was principal guest conductor of the
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra from 2007 to 2013.
In July 2010, the
BBC Philharmonic announced the appointment of Mena as its ninth chief conductor, effective with the 2011–2012 season, with an initial contract of three years, leading twelve concerts per year. Mena directed the BBC Philharmonic in four concerts prior to his appointment. In 2013, Mena extended his contract with the BBC Philharmonic for an additional 3 years. He concluded his tenure as chief conductor of the BBC Philharmonic in the summer of 2018. Mena and the BBC Philharmonic have commercially recorded music of
Gabriel Pierné,
Manuel de Falla, and of
Xavier Montsalvatge for the Chandos label.
In 2016, the
Orquesta Nacional de España named Mena its new 'Director Asociado' (principal guest conductor). In October 2016, the
Cincinnati May Festival announced the appointment of Mena as its new principal conductor, effective with the 2017–2018 season, with an initial contract of 3 years. Mena stood down as principal conductor of the Cincinnati May Festival in 2023.
Mena and his wife Noemi have two children. In January 2017, Mena was awarded the ''Medalla de Oro de Álava''. In January 2025, Mena announced via social media his diagnosis of early-stage
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...
.
However, he has continued to conduct.
References
External links
Official Juanjo Mena homepage, English-language linkIMG Artists profile of Juanjo MenaRichard Wigley, BBC Radio 3 Blog page on appointment of Mena as chief conductorClassicsToday.com review of Naxos CD 8.557631ClassicsToday.com review of Naxos CD 8.557110ClassicsToday.com review of Naxos CD 8.557584
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mena, Juanjo
1965 births
Living people
Spanish male conductors (music)
Basque classical musicians
People from Vitoria-Gasteiz
Spanish expatriates in the United Kingdom
21st-century Spanish conductors (music)
21st-century Spanish male musicians
20th-century Spanish conductors (music)
20th-century Spanish male musicians
Principal conductors of the BBC Philharmonic