bio
Considered by the international press as one of the most active and recognized composers of the musical scene, Felipe Perez Santiago has received several prizes, awards and recognitions in Europe, United States and Latin America including, among many others, the composition prize of the Kronos Quartet in USA, the electronic music prize in Bourges, France, the music for dance competition by the Onassis Foundation in Greece, the Betty J. Meyers grant in Washington, the National Performance Network award in Austin, a platinum album in Mexico, numerous international grants, and several prizes and nominations for his filmscores, including the best music award at the Miami Film Festival for the score of the film “Amalgama” by Mexican filmmaker Carlos Cuarón.
In Mexico, he is an honorary member of the National System of Art Creators, he represented his country before the UNESCO at the International Composers Rostrum, and was considered by the Mexico City cultural website as one of the 7 most recognized national artists worldwide. He was as well one of the three artists selected for the “Keep Walking Mexico” campaign, and received in 2021 the “Trajectory Award”, given by the Composers Society of Mexico (SACM) for 25 years of uninterrupted and successful career as a composer.
He is founder and artistic director of the Mal’Akh and Vórtice Ensembles, formations of flexible instrumentation where he combines chamber music with all kind of musical genres and collaborates with composers and performers from all over the world. With both ensembles he has extensively toured and recorded, and has received several grants, prizes and recognitions. He is also the musical director of the ONIX Ensemble (first contemporary music ensemble in Latin America) and he has recently been appointed as the musical director and conductor of the orchestra of “Estudios Churubusco”, main film studios in Latin America, to be in charge of all film music projects.
His music has been commissioned and performed in more than 40 countries in some of the most important theaters, concert halls, venues and festivals, and is included in more than 30 discographic productions worldwide including orchestral pieces, operas, chamber music, solo pieces, electronic works, and music for films, dance, video and multimedia installations. He has been as well invited as resident composer, teacher and guest lecturer to conservatories, universities and institutions all over the world.
Currently he is artist in residence at the SETI Institute (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) in California, where he will be working on projects related to art, science and space technology, and artistic director of “The Earthling Project” which consists in gathering human voices from all over the world to create a sonic legacy that will be sent into space as a representation of the sounds of humanity.