Juanjo Mena. Photo courtesy of IMG Artists.
In Friday’s (3/13) IMG Artists posted the following statement from conductor Juanjo Mena: “Dear friends, As you may remember, over a year ago I shared with you some news regarding my health. Tests carried out a few months beforehand revealed that I was beginning to show symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. Using a musical simile, I already knew then that of all the scores I had conducted so far, this part was going to be the most difficult to perform…. The illness has progressed since I made that announcement, and it has affected me. My situation is different than it was a year ago and it calls for some important decisions … I now feel that the time has come to say goodbye to my work on the podium. Every score has an ending, and the final bars of this one have been written. This year’s concerts will be the last I conduct…. I would like to … turn my upcoming farewell concerts into an expression of gratitude and above all, a celebration. My conducting career has spanned forty wonderful years, and I have a lot to be thankful for…. Let’s make every concert a true celebration with music at the heart of it; music as the reason for people to gather in solidarity and friendship.” Mena will conduct select performances including the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra on March 21 and 22.
