was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain (1971). He studies at the prestigious Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel where he is supervised by his maestros Richard Levitt and René Jacobs.

He has sung for audiences around the world including at the Kontzerthaus in Vienna, Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Alice Tully Hall in New York, Fisher Symphony Hall in Detroit, Kennedy Center in Washington, Suntory Hall and Opera City Hall in Tokyo, Osaka Symphony Hall, Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall in Melbourne, Berlin Philharmonic. He has played the title role in Handel’s Radamisto at the Salzburg Festival, Dortmund Kontzerthaus, Musikverein in Vienna and Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. His other appearances include Speranza in Monteverdi’s Orfeo (Berlin State Opera), Angelo Custode in Cavalieri’s Rappresentazione (La Monnaie in Brussels), Disinganno in Handel’s Il Trionfo (Grosses Festspielhaus in Salzburg), Cage’s Europera 5 (Flanders Festival), Oberon in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Teatro Real in Madrid), Ascanio in Mozart’s Ascanio in Alba (Barbican Center), Tamerlano in Vivaldi’s Bajazet (Teatro Arriaga in Bilbao), Sánchez-Verdú’s El viaje a Simorgh (Teatro Real in Madrid) and Britten’s Death in Venice (Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona).

His recordings include De Aeternitate (published by Mirare), awarded with a Diapason d’Or for Best Baroque Recital (2002), and Et Iesum on Harmonia Mundi awarded Best CD by CD Compact (2004), as well the Stabat Mater of Vivaldi and Pergolesi, Bach’s St. John’s Passion, Magnificat and Cantatas, notably awarded The Editor’s Choice by Gramophone, “10” by Repertoire, and Choc by Le Monde de la Musique.

Carlos Mena also interprets Romantic songs and works of the 20th century including by Stravinsky, Britten, Orff, Bernaola, Bernstein, Benjamín, Erkoreka, Sánchez-Verdú or Vaughan Williams.