Donemus Webwinkel — Santaella, Miguel Angel

Miguel Ángel Santaella (1971, Caracas) is a Venezuelan composer of mostly choral works that have been performed in the Americas and Europe; he is also active as a conductor. Mr. Santaella studied choral conducting with Belén Ojeda and music theory and solfège with José Marín at the Conservatorio José Ángel Lamas in Caracas from 1990–92. He studied analysis, composition and musical forms privately with César Alejandro Carrillo in Caracas from 1993–2003 and has studied composition with Beatriz Bilbao and Federico Ruíz at the Instituto Universitario de Estudios Musicales (IUDEM) in Caracas since 2004. In addition, he was awarded an honorary degree by East Baton Rouge Parish in Louisiana in 1992.
Among his honours are First Prize in the 100 Años Electricidad de Caracas competition (1995, for Domine Exaudi, Op. 11), the Premio Municipal de Música Vocal (1996, for Yambambó Yambambé, Op. 18), the Premio Municipal de Música Sinfónica Larga (1996, for Atmospheria, Concierto para Orquesta, Op. 15), and the Premio Municipal de Música Sinfónica Breve (1997, for Novilunium, Op. 21). Among his honours as a conductor are the Premio por Excelente Desempeño (1999, 2002, both for his work with the Diseño Vocal FAU–UCV) and the Premio al Mérito Estudiantil (1999, for founding the Diseño Vocal FAU–UCV), both from FAU–UCV in Caracas.
As a conductor, he has led numerous choruses in Venezuela, including the Diseño Vocal FAU–UCV, which he founded in 1998 and of which he has since served as principal conductor. He also founded the Athenaeum Grupo Vocal in Caracas in 2000 and the Cantoria Monteavila of the Universidad Monteavila in Caracas in 2003 and has since served as principal conductor of both. Moreover, he has conducted the Sies Seis Sexteto Vocal Jazz in Caracas since 2000.
Mr. Santaella is also active in other positions. He sang as a bass-baritone with various choruses from 1987–2000, notably the Cantarte Coro de Cámara in Caracas from 1995–97 and the Orfeón Universitario UCV in Caracas from 1990–2000. He served as artistic director of the choral festival Encuentro de Coros Ucevistas in Caracas and the Festival Música Nueva in Caracas in 2000 and has served as chairman of the board of the Encuentro de Coros Ucevistas in Caracas and Maracay since 2002.

Conductor of the
EDUARDO PLAZA AURRECOECHEA CHAMBER CHOIR
(La Victoria, Venezuela)

Third National Prize On Polyphonic and Folkloric sections of the II National Choral Competition Mérida 1998.

Founder Conductor of
DISEÑO VOCAL / ESCALA ÁUREA FAU UCV
(the architecture faculty chamber choir of the Central University of Venezuela)

Bandleader, Arranger, Producer and Bass III for
SIES SEIS, Venezuelan Vocal Jazz Sextet.

Special Guest, IX Polyphonic Days of Ávila, Spain (2006)
Bronze Diploma, Vocal Jazz Category, Vokal.Total ´07, Graz, Austria (2007)
Special Guest, VII International Choral Festival, Medellín, Colombia (2010)

Bandleader, Arranger, Producer and Bass for
VOCALIA

Guest vocal group, IX Festival Under The Sun, Barquisimeto, Venezuela (2009).
EP "Soñando a Venezuela" (Vocomotion Records) nominated as Best South American A Cappella Record for 2013 Contemporary A Cappella CARA Awards.

Composer, Arranger, Sound Designer and Producer for
THE NEOJAZZ ORCHESTRA

EP to be released digitally soon worldwide

Bandleader, Arranger, Producer and Bass for
CAFFEINE

The contemporary jazz/fusion a cappella vocal group from Rotterdam. On Xmas CD was released last December 2015 by Vocomotion Records from the U.S.