Juanjo Mena to Conduct at Tanglewood, for BBC

Spanish conductor Juanjo Mena will become chief conductor for the BBC Philharmonic during the 2011-2012 season, the New York Times reports.  Mena will also, along with Christoph von Dohnanyi, Hans Graf and Michael Tilson Thomas, take the place of James Levine at the Tanglewood Music Festival while Levine recuperates from back surgery. 

At the Tanglewood Festival, Mena will conduct Alban Berg's 'Three Pieces for Orchestra,' Richard Strauss's 'Four Last Songs,' and Gustav Mahler's 'Symphony No. 4,' the Times reports.  Mena told the Times, "This is my moment. I know from videos this unbelievable paradise [Tanglewood]. I am very excited and happy for this."

Mena was the artistic director of the Bilbao Symphony Orchestra from 1999 to 2008.  He has served as a guest conductor at Genoa, Italy's Teatro Carlo Felice and at Norway's Bergen Philharmonic.

Photo Credit: www.juanjomena.com