Biography

Pianist and performer specializing in contemporary and experimental music, originally from Spain and based in Strasbourg (France), Carolina Santiago is an internationally active concert artist, performing both as a soloist and as a member of various chamber music ensembles.

Santiago’s artistic profile is characterized by close collaboration with composers, sound experimentation, and rigorous yet open research into sound and instrumental technique. As an eclectic contemporary music artist, she conceives music as a laboratory for aesthetic exploration and frequently develops interdisciplinary collaborations.

Carolina Santiago is the pianist of Ensemble Linea, Ensemble L’Imaginaire, Barcelona Modern Ensemble, A/B Ensemble, and Semblance, and she is the founder of the chamber music projects: Syntagma Piano Duo, Regrat Duo, and Duo Ekriktiko. She has recorded for Radio France as well as IRCAM, and has worked closely with composers such as Francesco Filidei, Simon Steen-Andersen, Claudia Jane Scroccaro, and Alberto Posadas, among others.

Santiago has performed at festivals and concert halls across Europe and the United States, including the Wiener Konzerthaus (Austria), Stanford University (San Francisco), Northwestern University (Chicago), the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg (Germany), the Royaumont Festival (France), the Ruhrtriennale (Germany), Musica Electronica Nova (Poland), L’Auditori de Barcelona, among others. She has been artist-in-residence at the Royaumont Foundation, Grame (Lyon), and the Shape+ Platform (Europe), and has performed with the Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya (OBC).

Carolina Santiago is currently pursuing a Doctorate in Artistic Research at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid under the supervision of Luca Chiantore, conducting research on an experimental interpretation of Messiaen’s Catalogue d’oiseaux. Previously, she completed the European contemporary music master’s program CoPeCo (2020–2022) at EMTA Tallinn, KMH Stockholm, CNSMD de Lyon, and HfMT Hamburg. She also studied at the Conservatori del Liceu (Barcelona), where she obtained a master’s degree with the Fundació Liceu Excellence Scholarship as well as a Higher Diploma in Classical Piano Performance.

Carolina Santiago has received numerous distinctions, including the Piano Córdoba Corhyund Prize, Second Prize at the Piano Meeting Ourense Festival, the Fundació Liceu Scholarship, the BPA Yamaha Scholarship, and three grants from the Asociación de Intérpretes de España (AIE). Among the pianists who have most influenced her training are Catherine Ordronneau, Vesko Stambolov, Albert Attenelle, Josep Colom, and Pilar Valero.