Born in 1985 in Daimiel (Ciudad Real), Manuel Blanco began his trumpet studies very early with Martin Baeza Rubio and Jose María Ortí Soriano. He is also currently receiving musical advice from the international concert artist Reinhold Friedrich, showing these three masters a special interest in his human and professional preparation.

He has won several competitions such as the Ciudad de Xátiva, Villena, Calviá, Moixent, Jeju (South Korea)… Since 2006 he has been the main trumpet of the spanish National Orchestra. His great international achievement came after winning the 1st prize at the prestigious ARD Music Competition in Munich 2011, earning the highest rating in the competition’s history. This award has only been awarded to two other trumpeters in 62 editions before Manuel Blanco, Maurice André being the first to win it in 1963. Blanco is considered his rightful heir.

He has worked as a trumpet soloist in first class orchestras such as Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, Gewandhaus of Leipzig, Philharmonic of Radio France, Gustav Mahler Jugend Orchester, European Youth Orchestra, Berlin Staatsoper, Philharmonic Arturo Toscanini, Mozart Bologna Orchestra, Orchestra Teatro alla Scala Milán, Orquesta Santa Cecilia of Rome…. together with directors such as Claudio Abbado, Mariss Jansons, Rafael Frübeck de Burgos, Lorin Maazel, Christoph Eschenbach, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim, Yuri Temirkanov, Semyon Bychkov, Riccardo Chailly, Gustavo Dudamel, Andris Nelsons, Josep Pons, Juanjo Mena, David Afkham,Pablo Heras-Casado, George Pehlivanian, Markus Bosch, Antonio Méndez, Andrés Salado, Martin Baeza-Rubio, Charles Olivieri-Munroe…

As a concert performer, he has played with the Bavarian Radio Orchestra, Munich Radio Orchestra, Munich Chamber Orchestra, Budapest Chamber Orchestra, Jeju Philharmonic Orchestra, Camerata XXI, Philarmonisches Orchester Würzburg in Mozarfest, Capella Symphonic Orchestra (St. Petersburg), Hofer Symphoniker, Niederrheinis Sinfoniker, Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock, Mining Symphony Orchestra, National Orchestra of Spain, Navarre Symphony Orchestra, RTVE Symphony Orchestra, Bilabao Symphony Orchestra or the Municipal Orchestra of Valencia, among many others.

In 2016, he started one his most passionate projects within his educational vocation, the “MBTrumpetAcademy” school, a meeting point for the most talented trumpet players.

In 2017 he released his first CD, Fearless, recorded for DECCA with the Spanish National Orchestra conducted by Jose Pons. Received with great acclaim by critics and the audience, this recording is a demonstration of the wide-ranging repertoire Blanco is able to address, including works from the entire history of music, from Haydn to Tomasi.

He teaches at the Reina Sofía School of Music and at the Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio.