Born in Caldas, Colombia, Federico Montes started to play the trumpet when he was twelve years old at his high school in Villamaria. At the age of 15, Montes was invited to perform with Banda Municipal de Manizales and was offered a job with this institution after finishing high school a year later.

In May of 2016 he finished his undergraduate studies at the University of South Florida In Tampa. In May of 2018 he obtained his MM at The Juilliard School as a William Vacchiano Fellow in New York, the first student born and raised in Colombia accepted in Juilliard's 111-year history as a Masters student in trumpet. Montes is a candidate for a Doctoral in Musical Arts degree at the University of Miami and serves as assistant principal trumpet at The Florida Orchestra.

In recent years, he has served as a regular guest trumpet with the Jacksonville Symphony, Sarasota Orchestra, Jalisco Philharmonic, Florida Grand Opera, Palm Beach Symphony, and made his first appearance with the Boston Symphony in July of 2019. In 2017, he joined the newest program while in his masters "Juilliard 415" and collaborating with the Yale University Schola Cantorum in a baroque music tour in India lead by internationally recognized conductor David Hill.

In 2018 Linn Records releases Venetian Extravaganza, a fascinating transatlantic musical collaboration between the brass players of London's Royal Academy of Music and New York's Juilliard School which presents enduring masterpieces by Giovanni Gabrieli and his Venetian contemporaries, conducted by world-class trumpet player Reinhold Friedrich and recorded at St. Jude-on-the-Hill, London.

Montes has received awards and accolades in several competitions, including Winner of the National Trumpet Competition of the United States in 2018 (first Colombian ever to win this prize for his country), Winner of Concurso Inter-Universitario in Colombia, the Yamaha Young Performing Artist Competition (First Colombian ever to win this prize for his country as well), Florida Orchestra Young Artist Competition, Second Prize at the Eric Aubier Trumpet Competition, and the National Trumpet Competition of United States in 2017.

Montes is a Yamaha Performing Artist for Yamaha Corporation of America and Yamaha Music Latin America.