José Antonio Montano

Conductor José Antonio Montaño is a versatile musician with a large repertory, but he specializes in 18th century Spanish music and founded the period instrument orchestra La Madrileña. He is also a prominent educator. By the late '90s, Montaño was finding opera conducting opportunities. He is a composer himself, and his opera La ciudad de Hamelin won the Opera J prize. From 2003 to 2013, Montaño served as the principal conductor of the Orquesta Escuela de la Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid. In 2018, Montaño was commissioned by the Festival de Arte Sacro of the Community of Madrid to serve as conductor of the Requiem of José de Nebra on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of that composer's death. A recording of that work with Montaño conducting La Madrileña was issued in 2019. In 2023, Montaño and La Madrileña returned with countertenor Carlos Mena with the album Dixerunt.