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 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. 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. His complete Catalog of Works appears in this website. His Lux refulget for choir and orchestra
was premiered in 2012 by the choruses and orchestra of The Catholic University America. His 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, was premiered in 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 website. It was premiered in 2008 and was again 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 Agios o Theos, using Greek texts; Sonata for
chamber orchestra; Canticum Zachariae for SATB chorus and chamber orchestra;Tres Historiae sancti Evangelii secundum
Ioannem for vocal soloists, SATB chorus, and chamber ensemble; Concerto for Violin, Viola, and Orchestra;
Istampitte for orchestra; Symphonia for orchestra; Nightsong for flute and Bb clarinet (also
version for violin and violoncello).
