) is a Spanish conductor. His brother Carlos is a countertenor

Countertenor

A countertenor is a male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of a contralto, mezzo-soprano, or a soprano, usually through use of falsetto, or far more rarely than normal, modal voice. A pre-pubescent male who has this ability is called a treble...

 and his sister Elena is a research chemist.

Mena 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

Enrique García Asensio

Enrique García Asensio is a Spanish conductor. In 1970, he was made as Professor of Orchestral Conducting at the Madrid Royal Conservatory. He was the conductor of the Spanish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra from 1966 to 1984 and from 1998 to 2001...

 (conducting). He also studied conducting with Sergiu Celibidache

Sergiu Celibidache

- Biography :Celibidache was born in Roman, Romania, and began his studies in music with the piano, after which he studied music, philosophy and mathematics in Bucharest, Romania and then in Paris...

 in Munich on a Guridi-Bernaola scholarship. In 1997, the Basque Government

Basque Government

The Basque Government is the governing body of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain. The head of this government is the lehendakari or Basque president that is appointed by the Basque Parliament every four years...

 selected Mena to form the Youth Orchestra of Euskal Herria

Basque Country (autonomous community)

The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....

. 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 Records

Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...

 of music by Jesús Guridi

Jesús Guridi

Jesús Guridi Bidaola was a Spanish Basque composer, and is a key player in the Spanish and Basque music of the twentieth century. His style fits into what we might call the late romantic stamp, directly inherited from Wagner, and with a strong influence from the Basque culture...

 and Andrés Isasi. His guest-conducting debut in North America was with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is a professional American symphony orchestra based in Baltimore, Maryland.In September 2007, Maestra Marin Alsop led her inaugural concerts as the Orchestra’s twelfth music director, making her the first woman to head a major American orchestra.The BSO Board...

 in 2004. Mena served as principal guest conductor of the Teatro Carlo Felice

Teatro Carlo Felice

The Teatro Carlo Felice is the principal opera house of Genoa, Italy, used for performances of opera, ballet, orchestral music, and recitals. It is located on the Piazza De Ferrari....

, Genoa from 2007 to 2010. He has been principal guest conductor of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra

The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the world's oldest orchestral institutions. It performs some 110 concerts a year, and is based at the 1,500-seat Grieg Hall in Bergen, Norway.-History:...

 since 2007, and his current contract with the Bergen orchestra is through 2013.

In July 2010, the BBC Philharmonic

BBC Philharmonic

The BBC Philharmonic is a British broadcasting symphony orchestra based at Media City UK, Salford, England. It is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The orchestra's primary concert venue is the Bridgewater Hall....

 announced the appointment of Mena as its next chief conductor, effective with the 2011-2012 season, with an initial contract of 3 years, leading 12 concerts per year. Mena directed the BBC Philharmonic in 4 concerts prior to his appointment. Mena and the BBC Philharmonic have commercially recorded music of Gabriel Pierné

Gabriel Pierné

Henri Constant Gabriel Pierné was a French composer, conductor, and organist.-Biography:Gabriel Pierné was born in Metz in 1863. His family moved to Paris to escape the Franco-Prussian War. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, gaining first prizes for solfège, piano, organ, counterpoint and fugue...

 for the Chandos label.

Mena and his wife Noemi have two children. The family resides in Legutiano.

External links

• Official Juanjo Mena homepage, Spanish-language link
• Sullivan Sweetland agency biography of Mena
• Veronique Jourdain agency page
• Schmidt Artists agency page
• Richard Wigley, BBC Radio 3 Blog page on appointment of Mena as chief conductor
• ClassicsToday.com review of Naxos CD 8.557631
• ClassicsToday.com review of Naxos CD 8.557110
• ClassicsToday.com review of Naxos CD 8.557584