Josué Meléndez began his musical studies with trombone in Costa Rica at the Conservatorio Castella. From 1991-1995 he studied at the Escuela Nacional de Música, University of Mexico and founded the first Early Music Festival of Mexico; Festival Santo Domingo de Música Antigua, where he conducted L’Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi and many other projects. In 1997 Josué moved to The Hague where he completed two recorder diplomas at the Koninklijk Conservatorium, including one with distinction for New Music. From 2002 to 2006 he studied cornett at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis with Bruce Dickey. Since that time he has worked as a zinkenist and recorder player worldwide in concerts and CD recordings with renowned early music ensembles such as Concerto Palatino, La Fenice, Les Cornets Noirs, Musica Fiata, Oltremontano, Nederlandse Bach Vereniging, His Majestys Sagbutts & Cornetts, Academy of Ancient Music and with famous conductors such as Ton Kopman, Jordi Saval, Gabriel Garrido, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Claudio Cavina, Philippe Herreweghe, Paul van Nevel, Thomas Hengelbrock, Sigiswald Kuijken, etc.
The ensemble I Fedeli, which he founded, won the first prize at the “International Artist Presentation” in Antwerp and has realized two CD productions: Johann Rosenmüller – “Lo Zuane Tedesco” for PanClassics and “Tarasconi Codex Diminuito” for Passacaille.
Josué Meléndez is a specialist in baroque improvisation and teaches cornett and diminution at the HfMDK Frankfurt and the HfM Bremen, and has given workshops on ornamentation and diminution at various universities and institutions such as the Udk Berlin, the HMF Freiburg, the UNAM Mexico, the Norwegian Brass Ensemble and the Academy of Urbino, among others. In the academic field he has written several articles on musical ornamentation.
