José Maria Cervera Collado was born in Buñol, Spain. He studied at the Superior Conservatory of Valencia and then at Sienne's Chigiana Music Academy under Franco Ferrara, graduating with an honoray award. In 1973 he became conductor of the Municipal Orchestra of Valencia. In 1973 he was nominated conductor of Valencia's Municipal Orchestra. Later on, he was invited by composer Hans Werner Henze to be managing director of the Montepulciano International Festival (1977- 83). He has been music director of Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe (Karlsruhe Opera House) from 1985 to 1990. As a guest conductor, José Collado was given the opportunity to conduct, among others, the philharmonic orchestras of Vienna and London, Munich's Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Salzbourg Mozarteum, the radio orchestras of Hamburg, Quebec, Budapest and Hilversum (Netherlands), the symphony orchestras of Berlin, Barcelona, Tenerife and Madrid, the Orchestre National de France, the Lamoureux Orchestra and a number of acclaimed orchestras in international festivals. Collado has worked with many famous figures, including: Mischa Maisky, Narciso Yepes, Boris Belkin, Joaquín Achúcarro, Dmitri Bashkirov, A. Watts, Montserrat Caballé, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, Ileana Cotrubas, Barbara Hendricks and Giacomo Aragall. He has conducted opera performances at La Scala Milan, Metropolitan Opera New York, Opéra Bastille, Teatre Liceu Barcelona, Teatro de la Zarzuela Madrid, Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna State Opera), as well as performances in Zurich, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Munich, Turin, Trieste, Florence and Pisa. Collado has recorded numerous opera arias and duets with many artists and orchestras. In 1985, he and baritone Piero Cappuccilli received the prestigious Golden Applause Award. He died in Valencia on 12/3/2013. He worked with the GNO once as chorus master in the production of Nabucco at the Odeon Herod Atticus in 1992.