Michael Montero began playing the violin at age eleven in his native New York City studying with his beloved teachers Arlene Woz and Valarie Quinlan. He attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia high school of music, art and performing arts in Manhattan and participated in the Manhattan School of Music preparatory division. Mr. Montero participated, on many occasions, as a soloist ad chamber musician in the Young Musician’s Competition and was awarded first and second place prizes. Mr. Montero received a BA in music from Rutgers University where he studied under Matthew Reichert.

While living in New York, Mr. Montero served as the Music Director of the Auburn Chamber Orchestra..  Mr. Montero was also the music director of the Onondaga Youth String Ensemble, consisting of two groups of high school and middle school students, which he founded in 2005.  He was the concertmaster of the Onondaga Civic Symphony Orchestra (Syracuse) and held that post for six years.  Currently, Mr. Montero is the Director of the Pocono Youth Orchestra in Stroudsburg, PA where he conducts the Pocono Junior String Orchestra, Repertory String Orchestra and the Pocono Youth Symphony Orchestra.

After college graduation, Michael studied violin repair and making with his beloved mentor, Thomas Cox of Baldwinsville, New York.  Currently, Mr. Montero spends most of his time at the bench at his two shops servicing clients who come from as close as the Lehigh Valley and Poconos and  as far as Philadelphia and New York City. 

When not at his bench, Mr. Montero finds himself teaching violin and viola students.  Montero is a former adjunct professor at Moravian University where he taught undergraduates, coached the University's chamber music ensembles and served as the orchestra's concertmaster for ten years.  He has also been a guest conductor for PMEA district 10 orchestra and New Jerseys region 1 orchestra and is an active adjudicator and clinician.