Joseph A. Santo holds a Doctor of Musical Arts
degree in Composition from The Catholic University of America where he was Assistant Dean for Academics and for Graduate Studies
at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music from 2002 to 2018. In addition to his administrative duties, he also taught
in the theory division of the music school. The composer has been active in music education since 1968 and a composer
throughout his professional career. He is a member of ASCAP and has been the recipient of ASCAPlus Awards. He
also holds active membership in The College Music Society, The American Music Center, the Society of Composers, Inc., and
the National Association for Music Education. The composer has written in a variety of genres, from solo works to chamber
works to large scale compositions, including Vísperas de la Santa Cruz, a concert Vespers for soloists, chorus,
and orchestra, using texts in Latin, Spanish, and indigenous Latin American languages. The concert Vespers received
its world premiere on April 3, 2011 in Washington, D.C. and was the recipient of a generous grant from the Composer Assistance
Program of the American Music Center. His Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, premiered in 2000, was also
the recipient of a generous grant from The American Music Center. His song cycle for soprano and piano, entitled Rimas
sacras, on medieval to 16th century Spanish texts, was premiered in 2003. His Trois épiphanies,
a three-movement work for piano solo, premiered in 2004, was chosen for performance at the 2006 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference
of the College Music Society. Prólogo y Canto for piano trio was performed at Weill Hall of Carnegie
Hall, November 2010, as part of a concert series sponsored by the La Gesse Foundation. Though some of his compositional output
has been in the twelve-tone serial tradition, he has in recent years found an idiom more suitable to his temperament, without
entirely abandoning serialization of certain elements. His most recent works often use centric forces that may or may not
employ semi-traditional verticalities. Rhythmic and technical complexities are characteristics of much of the output, providing
challenging experiences to performers. Interest in religious tradition has provided the incentive for a number of sacred works.
The composer’s lifelong interest in languages has given the stimulus for music using texts in Latin, Anglo-Saxon, medieval
and modern French, Neapolitan, and Spanish, among others. Recent works have been Lux refulget for choir and orchestra,
premiered December 2012 by the choruses and orchestra of The Catholic University America; and Život v pravdě (Life in Truth) for narrator and chamber orchestra, a project in collaboration
with the Embassy of the Czech Republic to honor President Václav Havel, premiered September 2013 by the Trinity Chamber
Orchestra, Washintgon, D.C. His Trio, for flute, violoncello, and piano was premiered in 2018, as was his Quintet
for Brass. His work Malachey Elyon, for recorded voices, tenor solo, and chamber orchestra
and chorus is described in the "about selected works" section of this site. It was premiered in 2008 and was performed
November 16, 2018 as part of The Catholic University of America's commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht.
His most recent works include a sacred chamber opera entitled El Divino Orfeo, on a text of the same title by Don
Pedro Calderón de la Barca; an
SATB a cappella work entitled Hagios o Theos, using Greek texts; and a three-movement Sonata for Orchestra.
