Igor Santos, PhD 2018, receives the 2021 Busoni composition prize

Igor Santos headshot


Igor Santos, PhD 2018, has been named the recipient of the Busoni Composition Prize. This prize, donated by Aribert Reimann in 1988, is awarded every two to three years to young, emerging composers.

Santos’ music is characterized by a lively wealth of timbres, which is fed by the artfully rhythmic and high-contrast expansion of the instrumental material through everyday noises, electronics, microtonal inflections or resonances and the formation of so-called meta-instruments. His music has been described as "otherworldly and mysteriously familiar" ( Chicago Classical Review ), and as "exciting and clear [...] with a striking boldness" (Luigi Nono Competition Prize).

A graduate of the University of Chicago, Eastman School of Music, and the University of South Florida, Santos is the recipient of prizes at the Luigi Nono International Competition and the RED NOTE Competition. 

The award ceremony will take place in Berlin on November 26, 2021, where two of Santos' works will be performed alongside works by Ferruccio Busoni. Read the announcement on The Violin Channel website