Mauro Montalbetti was born in Brescia (Italy) in 1969. He began studying composition in 1987 with Antonio Giacometti. He attended the “Giuseppe Verdi” Conservatory in Milan, where he studied with Irlando Danieli, Paolo Rimoldi. His meeting with Gerard Grisey, Marco Stroppa, Franco Donatoni, Magnus Lindberg and Luca Francesconi have been crucial in developing his vocation and talent. The composer’s career was established after Valentino Bucchi prize 1988 with his first composition for violin and cello Fahrt ins staublose. Montalbetti’s early recognition as one of the most promising Italian composers, subsequently confermed when he won others awards including finalist at the Gaudeamus Prize 1999 and the First prize at the 2006 Johan Fux Opera Composition Prize Graz, with the Opera Lies and sorrow. Montalbetti has regularly been commissioned pieces by the Filarmonica della Scala, Biennale Musica Venezia, Milano Musica festival, Teatro Massimo di Palermo, Roma Europa Festival, Fondazione Teatro Grande Brescia, Sentieri Selvaggi ensemble, Fondazione I Teatri Reggio Emilia, Cantiere di Montepulciano, Stadttheater Klagenfurt, Sasha Waltz and Guest, Orchestra Nazionale RAI, Gaudeamus Music week, North/South Consonance New York, Steirische Ebst, Ex novo Musica, Bang On a Can Marathon New York, Società del Quartetto Milano, Festival Aperto, Mantova Chamber Music Festival, Filarmonica Romana, Festival Liederiadi, Orchestra Regionale Toscana, Real Filharmonia de Galicia, I Virtuosi Italiani, Xenia ensemble, Orchestra Pomeriggi Musicali, Netherland flute orchestra, Ex Novo ensemble, Ensemble Suono Giallo, Altrevoci ensemble, Festival GAMO, Festival Playit!, International piano Festival Brescia-Bergamo, Teatro Due, Balletto Civile.
His opera Il sogno di una cosa has received great acclaimed after the nine performance in the theaters of Brescia, Reggio Emilia, Milan and is the first italian contemporary opera transmitted several times by the italian national television RAI 5.
His orchestral work Another’s hell has been commissioned and played by Orchestra Filarmonica della Scala in January 2014 conducted by Daniel Harding. In the year 2015 the Foundation I Teatri Reggio Emilia commissioned Corpi eretici opera dedicated to the personality of the poet Pier Paolo Pasolini and in the 2017 the opera Haye le parole la notte with libretto by Alessandro Leogrande. His composition Voce tra le voci was included in a Sentieri Selvaggi ensemble CD for the label Deutsche Gramophone. In the 2018 for to anniversary First world war the Festival Liederiadi, Teatro dell’Arte, Sacred Music Festival Pordenone commissioned the large vocal work Still Requies. In May 2019 his Concerto for clarinet and percussion was premiered in Teatro alla Scala. He composed music for dance performances for Sasha waltz&guest, Michela Lucenti – Balletto civile.
In December 2021 his opera Teodora was selected as the best Contemporary Opera Performance of the year for the Wired review.
Mauro Montalbetti was been composer in residence for I Teatri Foundation of Reggio Emilia for the years 2015, 2016, 2017. In September 2018 was be composer in Residence at Visby Composer Centre (Sweden). His catalogue includes orchestral pieces, for ensemble and five operas, recorded for the Deutsche Grammophon, Stradivarius, Cantaplupe, A simple lunch labels. From 2007 his works are published by RaiCom (Rome), and from 2021 by Curci Edition (Milan).
He was Artistic Director by Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte for 2021-23 seasons and Composer in Residence by Philarmonisches Orchestra Bremerhaven season 2022-2023