Juanjo Mena (Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1965) is the director of the Basque Orchestra of greatest fame and prestige world of the last decades. He began his musical studies, during which he was a pupil among others by Carmelo Bernola, in the capital of Alavesa and the broad later in Madrid.

In 1997 he was appointed artistic director of the newly released Ego, a young Euskal Herria orchestra, and from 1999 to 2008 he held the position of artistic director and head of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra. In 2010, he began his journey as heading of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, which he toured until 2018.

Mena has directed as invited many of the most prestigious orchestras in the world, among which are the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra (he was the main guest director of the Norwegian group), Berlin, Bamberg, Denmark, France, New York, Boston, Chicago, Chicago, Baltimore and, of course, Euskadiko Orkestra with which he has frequently acted.

Mena has interpreted, both on stage and study, pieces of Basque teachers such as Arambarri, Guridi, Arriaga, Isasi, Usandizaga, Sarasate and Escudero and are especially excited with Rabel’s bolero.

His brother is the hiring Carlos Mena, and lives in Legutio. In 2017, the gold medal of Álava was awarded, and in 2018 he was appointed favorite son of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Now, after announcing that Alzheimer’s suffers, he is prepared to interpret “the most complex score of his life” with his family, his friends and doctors.

At the moment, despite the disease, he has announced concerts in Valencia, where he will participate in a solidarity event on February 5, and in the coming weeks in Iceland, Barcelona, ​​Madrid, New York and Cincinnati.

Source: Eitb

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