The former director of Colon Theater Juan Carlos Montero died at the age of 85, the maximum “Argentine coliseum” reported today in a statement. Montero, who was also a librarian, journalist and music critic, was in charge of the Colón for two periods, between 1987 and 1989 and between 1999 and 2000.
His musical training was under such masters as Adolph Brandl, Fedora Aberastury, Roberto Caamaño, Teodoro Fuchs and Juan Jose Castro.
Librarian received at the Buenos Aires’ Universitywas director of popular public libraries (1979-1985) and director of the Library of the Faculty of Law.
In the journalistic field, he worked as a music critic for the newspaper The nationhe also collaborated in various magazines dedicated to music and was director of Radio Nacional Clásica, as well as host of several radio programs among which stood out Approach to the opera y Are you afraid of the opera?.
He was also a Jury at the Konex Awards in 1989 and 1999.
He was born in 1938. At the beginning he studied Philosophy and Letters at the UBA and graduated as a librarian, a specialty that helped him to be in charge of the Municipal Libraries as well as the Library of the Faculty of Law of the UBA.
At a very young age he began to frequently visit the Teatro Colón, where he went with his father, the architect Juan Pedro Montero, general director of the Colón from 1958 to 1967, when he was fired for not agreeing with the censorship imposed by the dictatorship of Juan Carlos. Onganía carried out on the opera Bomarzoof Alberto Ginastera and Manuel Mujica Láinez.
With Teresa Anchorena, when they were planning the recovery plan for the Teatro Colón.“With deep regret, the Teatro Colón says goodbye to Juan Carlos Montero, librarian, journalist and music critic and who was Director of the Teatro Colón for two periods between 1987 and 1989 and between 1999 and 2000,” the Press office echoed. of the theater.
His arrival at Colón in 1999 was not easy. According to the newspaper The nation had to face a strike that meant the cancellation of the first concert of the season by Bruno Gelber. “At that time, and concerned with programming of excellence, he appointed the composer Gerardo Gandini as director of the Philharmonic in addition to the Experimentation Center.”
economic crisis
Always according to the same media, he had to overcome the economic crisis that was announced in 2001, but it included Sonatas from the Interludes by John Cage, the Studies for pianobut György Ligeti; Mahagonny SongspielKurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht; The cunning little foxby Janacek; Joan of Arc at the stakeby Honegger, and Tristan and Isolde, by Wagner. Mozarteum contributed Daniel Barenboim and the Wagneriana to Claudio Abbado, who performed in the main hall.
Montero announced the performances of the great conductor Franz-Paul Decker, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, violinist Chantal Julliet, cellist Mischa Maisky, pianist Nelson Goerner and voices such as Krasimira Stoyanova, Galina Gorchakova, Gegam Grigorian, Gregory Kunde, David Pittsinger, Eva Jenis, Susan Bullock and Marcus Haddock, among others.
The radio also owes the cycle Approach to the operawhich was on the air for three decades on Nacional Clásica and which was prior to his appointment as director of that station.