Matteo Montanari was born in Ravenna, Italy, and began his musical training at the age of 7.
In 1996, M. Montanari received his conservatory diploma in violoncello studies at the Musical Institute "G. Verdi" of Ravenna, where he graduated with a perfect grade of 10/10. In the same year he was awarded the Rotary Prize as the Best Graduate Musician of the year. In 1999 he completed the Professional Studies program at the Musical Institute of the San Marino Republic under the guidance of M° Marianne Chen.
From 1996 to 1998 he attended the chamber music and orchestral programs of the Fiesole School of Music studying with Quartetto Italiano, Amadeus Quartet, Trio di Trieste, Trio di Parma and Trio della Scala, and studied cello with Amedeo Baldovino, Giacinto Caramia and Andrea Nannoni. During the same period he served as Principal Violoncello in the Orchestra Giovanile Italiana (O.G.I.), collaborating with prestigious conductors like Riccardo Muti, Giuseppe Sinopoli and Luciano Berio.
In 1999 he was chosen by Riccardo Chailly as Principal Assistant of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano "G.Verdi", a place he has held until 2007 as he moved to Spain at the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra.

Since 2009 he is back in Italy and he occasionally collaborates with some of the most important orchestras of the country.
He has maintained constant concert activity in many Italian orchestras, such as I Virtuosi Italiani, Symphonica Toscanini, Theatre Orchestra of Cagliari, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di S. Cecilia. He has performed on tours in the most important concert halls of Europe, South America and Eastern Asia and he has played with many important conductors including L.Maazel, V.Gergiev, R.Barshai, C.Hogwood, L.Slatkin, H.Blomsted, H.Rilling, M.Rostropovich, F.Bruggen, L.Jia, V. Jurowsky, M. Honeck and C.P. Flor.
He has also been active in the realms of Pop and Jazz music collaborating with artists like Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublè, Luis Bacalov and Max Roach.
An avid proponent of chamber music, M. Montanari plays with many string chamber ensembles, and also frequently arranges concerts to promote the chamber music repertoire. In 2007, as member of Tenerife String Quartet, he performed Mendelssohn’s Octet together with the Berlin Philarmoniker String Quartet. In 2018 as member of Harmonia Ludens has performed at the Ravenna Festival in Italy playing his own arrangements of Bach music for string duet (violin and cello).
He has recorded for Philips, RCA, Sony, Decca and Deutsche Grammophon. In 2008 as member of Cuarteto Atlantico he executed the world premiere recording of the String Quartet by the 20th century Spanish composer Manuel Bonnin.
M. Montanari has a variety of teaching experience. In early 2006, an amateur orchestra, “La Verdi per Tutti” (“The Verdi for Everyone”), was founded as an extension of the Orchestra Verdi. M. Montanari was asked to be the professional section leader and tutor for the viola, cello and contrabass sections. His responsibilities included teaching individual members of the lower string sections, coaching the sections on their parts, and performing with the orchestra. He has also maintained a private teaching studio since 1996, working with students of all ages and levels. From 2010 to 2011 M. Montanari has joined the International Music Conservatory of Indonesia in Jakarta (YMJ) as Head of strings department. His tasks included teaching string students from Elementary until University grades in single and group lessons, arranging music for any string ensemble, conducting the student orchestra, teaching theory subjects, public lecturing and performing, setting up the strings curriculum and course programs and
coordinating the work of all the string teachers. Throughout the 2012 he has been developing string music in Surabaya (Indonesia) promoting concerts, master classes, teaching methods and music competitions.
In 2013 he has founded AMA (Accademia Musicale Armonica) in the city of Surabaya, the first music school in Indonesia to offer a western standard music education with the support of qualified teachers from abroad.
Performance Experience Orchestra:
 Guest Section Cello, Accademia Nazionale S. Cecilia Orchestra; Roma, Italy; 2010
 Guest Principal Assistant Cello, Tenerife Symphony Orchestra; Tenerife, Spain; 2008-2009
 Guest Principal Cello, Tenerife Symphony Orchestra; Tenerife, Spain; 2007
 Guest Section Cello, Symphonica Toscanini; South America and Japan Tour 2007
 Acting Principal Cello, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano “G. Verdi”; Milano, Italy; 2006-2007
 Principal Assistant Cello, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano “G. Verdi”; Milano, Italy; 1999-2006
 Guest Section Cello, I Virtuosi Italiani; Modena, Italy; 2000-2005
 Guest Section Cello, Orchestra del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari; Cagliari, Italy; 1999
 Principal Cello, Orchestra Giovanile Italiana; Firenze, Italy; 1996-1998
 Guest Principal Assistant Cello, Orchestra Corelli; Cesena, Italy; 1995-1998 Chamber Music:
 Harmonia Ludens, String Duo; concerts in USA, Indonesia and Italy; 2012-2018
 Cuarteto Atlantico, String Quartet, concerts throughout Spain; 2007-2008
Manuel Bonnin String Quartet World Premiere Recording; 2008
Mendelssohn Octet together with Berliner Philharmoniker String Quartet; 2007
 Improvviso Ensemble, String Sextet, concerts throughout Italy; 2006-2007
 Quartetto Solaris, String Quartet; concerts throughout Italy; 2001-2010
 Hector Moreno Piano Trio; concerts throughout Italy; 1996-1999 Teaching Experience
 Music Director at Accademia Musicale Armonica (Surabaya, Indonesia 2013-2016)
 Head of Strings Music Department at International Music Conservatory of Indonesia (Jakarta, Indonesia 2010-2011)
 Cello, Chamber music and Orchestra Faculty at Jakarta International Summer Music Festival (Jakarta,
Indonesia, 2010)
 Resident “Maestro Preparatore” (Tutor) for violoncello,viola and doublebass sections of “La Verdi per Tutti”, the amateur orchestra division of the Orchestra Verdi; (Milano 2005-2007)
 Private cello studio (Milano, 1999-2007; Ravenna, 1996-1999) Education
 Certificate of Professional Studies in Violoncello, Istituto Musicale Sammarinese; San Marino Republic;
1997-1999
 Diploma, Scuola di Musica di Fiesole,chamber music and orchestral programs; Firenze, Italy; 1996-1998
 Conservatory Diploma (grade of 10/10), Musical Institute “G. Verdi” of Ravenna; 1996
 Rotary Prize for Best Graduate Musician of the Year; Ravenna, Italy; 1996
 Teachers - Marianne Chen, Amedeo Baldovino, Giacinto Caramia, Dante Barzanò
 Chamber Music Coaches – Quartetto Italiano, Amadeus Quartet, Trio di Trieste, Trio di Parma, Trio della
Scala, Quartetto Fonè
 120-hour TEFL certificate of Educational Studies with TEYL (Teaching English to Young Learners) specialization; Coventry House International ONTESOL, Canada 2016 Conductors (partial listing) Lorin Maazel, Riccardo Chailly, Riccardo Muti, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Luciano Berio, Valery Gergiev, Rudolf Barshai, Cristopher Hogwood, Leonard Slatkin, Herbert Blomsted, Claus Peter Flor, Lu Jia, Helmut Rilling, Mstslav Rostropovich, Eiji Oue, Manfred Honeck, Vladimir Jurowsky, Franz Bruggen, Yutaka Sado, Antonio Pappano.