Igor Santos

Described as “otherworldly and mysteriously familiar” (Chicago Classical Review), and as “exciting and clear… with a striking boldness” (Luigi Nono Competition Prize), Igor Santos’ music has been performed internationally, by leading musicians such as Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Ensemble Dal Niente, Yarn/Wire, Alarm Will Sound, the American Composers Orchestra, and the Florida Orchestra.

His work is centered on mimetic relationships between found sounds, acoustic instruments, and recently with video, all of which is dramatized through repetition and the use of microtonal keyboards.

Igor has earned degrees in Music Composition from the University of Chicago, the Eastman School of Music, and the University of South Florida. He has been awarded the Rome Prize (2022), a Guggenheim Fellowship (2023), and has won additional prizes such as the Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, the Luigi Nono International Chamber Music Competition, the RED NOTE New Music Festival Competition, the Salvatore Martirano Memorial Composition Award, and was also awarded Best Sound Design from Theater Tampa Bay (for his incidental music).

Igor is a native of Curitiba, Brazil.