Born in 1974, he graduated with a first honours degree in musical analysis, aesthetic, instrumentation and composition from Paris Conservatoire (1996). Simultaneously he studied musicology at the University of Rouen and took part in courses for composers at Royaumont Abbey (1995) and in courses on computer music at IRCAM (1998–99). He received scholarships from the Académie des Beaux-Arts (1997) and the International Nadia and Lili Boulanger Foundation (1999). He was also granted the Hervé Dugardin Prize awarded by the SACEM (French Performing Rights Society) in 1999 and the Belmont Prize at the Musiktage Hitzacker festival in 2007. In 2006, Bruno Mantovani was an honorary guest of Musica Festival in Strasbourg, where his Cantata No. 1, Quelques effervescences and the opera L’Autre côté were performed for the first time.

Bruno Mantovani was an artist-in-residence in Herrenhaus Edenkoben (1999), at the Automne en Normandie Music Festival (2001), the Villa Medici in Rome (2003), French Institute in Florence (2003), Académie de France in Rome (2004–05), and the Festival in Besançon (2006–08). In 2008–10 he was composer-in-residence with the Orchestre National de Lille. He has cooperated with such eminent musicians as Pierre Boulez, Peter Eötvös, Jonathan Nott and Pascal Rophé. His compositions have been performed by, among others, Ensemble TM+, Ensemble intercontemporain, Quatuor Danel, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra. In 2010, the Paris Opera staged his ballet Siddharta, and in 2011 – his opera about the life of the Russian poet Anna Akhmatova.

Selected works: Jazz Connotation for piano (1998), Moi, jeu... for marimba (1999), Bug for clarinet (1999), Série noire for 14 instruments (2000), Art d’écho for orchestra (2000), Früh for flute (2001), Un mois d’octobre for bassoon and piano (2001), Appel d’air for flute and piano (2001), Le sette chiese for large ensemble (2002), Par la suite for flute and ensemble (2002), Mit Ausdruck for bass clarinet and orchestra (2003), East Side, West Side for five instruments (2003), Zapping for flute and orchestra (2004), Little Italy for viola (2005), Blue Girl with Red Wagon for string quartet and piano (2005), Da Roma for clarinet, viola and piano (2005), Un souffle for flute and four percussionists (2005), Happy B. for flute and string trio (2005), Poèmes de Janos Pilinsky (5) for choir (2005), Con leggerezza for ensemble (2005), Cello Concerto (2005), Le cycle des gris for orchestra (2005), Suonare for piano (2006), Streets for ensemble (2006), Éclair de lune for three ensembles and electronics (2006), Quelques effervescences for viola and piano (2006), Si près, si loin (d’une fantaisie) for two pianos and two ensembles (2006), L’Autre côté, opera (2006), Time Stretch (on Gesualdo) (2006), chrono for accordion (2007), Happy hours for violin (2007), Tocar for harp (2007), Finale for orchestra (2007), Contrepoints de l’Art de la Fugue (2) for seven cellos (2007), Quintette pour Bertolt Brecht for harp and string quartet (2007), D’une seule voix for piano and cello (2007), Trait d’union for clarinet (2008), L’enterrement de Mozart for five voices and ensemble (2008), Cantata No. 2 (sur G. Leopardi) for soprano and clarinet (2008), Dédale for piano (2009), Icare for two pianos (2009), Chamber Concerto No. 1 for ensemble (2009), Concerto for two Violas and Orchestra (2009), Le Livre des illusions for orchestra (2009), ...273... for ensemble (2010), Fantasy for piano and orchestra (2010), Siddharta for orchestra (2010), Postludium for orchestra (2010), Smartroll (Le Lutin) for orchestra (2010), Akhmatova, opera (2010), Chamber Concerto No. 2 (2010), Upon One Note for orchestra (2011), Cantata No. 3 for choir and orchestra (2012), Cantata No. 4 for cello, accordion and choir (2012).