José Miguel Moreno was born in Madrid and began his musical journey at a very early age under the guidance of his father. During his period of training, he won several awards, including First Prize at the Incontri Chitarristici di Gargnano (Italy, 1977). He specialised in historical performance practice, developing an exceptionally wide repertoire ranging from the 16th century to the early 20th century, performed on period instruments such as the vihuela, Renaissance and Baroque guitar, Renaissance and Baroque lute, theorbo and classical–Romantic guitar, all of them original instruments or faithful copies. In this field, José Miguel Moreno is unanimously regarded as one of the leading specialists of our time.

He has performed at the most important festivals and music centres across Europe, Australia, Asia and the Americas, including the Wiener Musikverein, the Granada and Flanders Festivals, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, Teatro Real and Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, Brisbane Biennial, Wigmore Hall in London, the Pushkin Hall in Moscow, the Glazunov Hall in Saint Petersburg, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Vienna Konzerthaus, and early music festivals in Bruges, Barcelona, Utrecht, Stuttgart, Innsbruck, El Escorial, Nantes, Saintes, Ribeauvillé, Paris, Hokutopia in Tokyo, the Early Music Festival of Saint Petersburg, Prague, Riga and Tallinn, among many others. In almost all the countries he has visited, he has also recorded for radio and television.

For many years, he collaborated regularly with Teresa Berganza. He also undertook numerous tours and recordings with Hespèrion XX, including Lachrimae by John Dowland, for lute and viol consort. In 1990 he founded the ensemble La Romanesca, and in 1999 Orphénica Lyra, both dedicated to the performance of Spanish and European Renaissance and Baroque music. His pedagogical work has developed since 1980, serving as a guest professor at universities, conservatories and courses across Europe, the Americas and Asia. Together with luthier Lourdes Uncilla, he conducted years of research into the historical construction of instruments from the lute and guitar family.

José Miguel Moreno has recorded for Philips, EMI, Glossa, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi and Astrée. Since 1992 he has recorded exclusively for Glossa, a label he co-founded. Almost his entire discography has been distinguished with awards from the specialised press, including Choc de la Musique (Le Monde), Diapason d’Or, 10 de Répertoire, Gramophone Editor’s Choice, Want List (Fanfare), CD Compact Awards, Ritmo Awards, 5 Goldberg Stars and the International Prize of the Giorgio Cini Foundation in Venice, among others.

Among his honours are the Trujamán Prize for the Guitar (2003), Honorary Membership of Amigos de la Guitarra de Valencia (2016), Honorary Membership of the Sociedad de la Vihuela (2017), the GEMA Honor Award (2020), the European Guitar Foundation Honor Award (2021) and the 2025 Honorary Prize of the Certamen Llobet, among others.