Miguel Roa was born in Madrid in 1944 and made his début in 1964 with Rigoletto at the former Teatro Eslava. He served as Principal Conductor of the Madrid Youth Orchestra and of the Santa Cecilia Orchestra of Pamplona, now the Pablo Sarasate Orchestra. In 1971 he joined the Chicago Lyric Opera and the following year became Musical Director of the Massimo Bellini Theatre in Catania. In 1974 he assumed responsibility for the operatic repertoire of the Spanish National Chorus, while serving as a member of the teaching faculty of the Madrid Advanced School of Vocal Studies and as Second Director of the Opera Festivals. He joined the Teatro de La Zarzuela in 1978, becoming Musical Director of the theatre in 1985. Since that time he has directed all the principal productions of the Compañía Lírica Nacional and the Compañía Nacional de Danza, with guest engagements abroad that have included appearances at the Paris Opéra-Comique, opera houses in Salerno and Rome, Covent Garden, the Teatro Colón and the opera houses of Los Angeles and Washington. Conducting engagements have brought appearances with major orchestras throughout the world, from Chicago to Tokyo and throughout Europe. In October 2000 he brought an international tour with the Orchestra of the Comunidad de Madrid to a climax with a concert in Carnegie Hall in New York. His recordings include performances with the most distinguished Spanish musicians.

Discography