the bio

 “A choir is a living instrument made up of unique individuals who, together, create a special sound. The composer’s job is to bring the voices to life through skillful composition, and the conductor’s job is to make them resonate in harmony, musicality, and emotion.”

Miguel Ángel Santaella  is a Dutch-Venezuelan choral conductor, composer and arranger based in the Netherlands. With more than 29 years of experience leading choirs and vocal ensembles in Europe and Latin America, he has developed an artistic profile that brings together refined choral leadership, creative versatility and a deep commitment to the expressive possibilities of the human voice.

His work moves across chamber choir, a cappella performance, contemporary vocal music, vocal jazz and cross-cultural repertoire. At the centre of his artistic approach is a fascination with colour, blend, text and musical communication, as well as a belief that choral singing can be both precise and deeply human. As both conductor and creator, he combines rehearsal leadership, artistic imagination and a strong sensitivity to vocal texture and ensemble identity.

Miguel holds a Master of Music from Codarts Hogeschool voor de Kunsten in Rotterdam and completed the Kurt Thomas Course in Choir Conducting at HKU Utrechts Conservatorium, with a focus on professional chamber choir work. Alongside his conducting career, he is active as a published and award-recognised composer and arranger, with music issued by Edition Ferrimontana, Cayambis Music Press and Donemus.

He has lectured internationally on vocal jazz, improvisation and Venezuelan choral arranging, including at the World Symposium on Choral Music in Barcelona and the International Symposium on Traditional Polyphony in Tbilisi. His artistic profile is shaped by three connected perspectives: choral conducting, composition and arranging, and a strong commitment to cross-cultural and multilingual vocal repertoire.

• Finalist, First Choir Composition Competition of Koorschool Delft 2025, with G P P Revisited (Composition for mixed choir)
• Honorary Mention, Japan International Choral Competition 2021, with Deus Caritas Est (Composition for mixed choir).
• Ricciotti's Grote Arrangeerdwestrijd 2015, with Laudatio (Recomposition for jazz orchestra).
  
•  Nomination as Best South American Album, The Contemporary A Cappella Records Awards 2013, for Soñando a Venezuela (Vocalia, Singer, Arranger, Conductor, Co-Producer of the project).
  
• Premio José Rafael Rivas de Arreglos Corales, 60 Aniversario Orfeón ULA 2010, with Canción de Esperanza (Arrangement for mixed choir).
  
•  Premio Municipal de Música Vocal 2009, with Dos Canciones Corales (Composition for mixed choir). 
  
•  Mención Honorífica, Premio Municipal de Música 2008, with Yadrigal (Composition for mixed choir).
  
•  Bronze Diploma, Vokal.Total A Cappella Jazz Competition 2007, with Sies Seis (Singer, Arranger, Conductor of the vocal group). 
  
•  Premio al Mérito Estudiantil UCV, 1999, with Diseño Vocal FAU UCV Choir (Founding Conductor of the choir). 
  
•  3er Premio General, Concurso Nacional de Coros Merida 98, 1998, with Eduardo Plaza Aurrecoechea Chamber Choir (Conductor of the choir). 
  
•  Premio Municipal de Música Sinfónica Breve, 1997, with Novilunium (Composition for orchestra).
  
•  Premio Municipal de Música Sinfónica Larga, 1996, with Atmospheria (Composition for orchestra).
  
•  Premio Municipal de Música Vocal 1996, with Yambambó Yambambé (Composition for mixed choir).
  
•  Premio Único de Composición Coral 100 Años Electricidad de Caracas, 1995, with Domine Exaudi (Composition for mixed choir).