Biography

*updated for the 21/22 season

Jaume Santonja is currently associate conductor of the Euskadiko Orkestra - Basque National Orchestra - and is a regular guest of the main orchestras in his native Spain: Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España - OCNE, Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana - OCV, Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife - OST, Orquesta Filarmónica de Málaga, Real Filharmonía de Galicia, Orquesta Sinfónica de Bilbao, Oviedo Filarmonía etc.  

Jaume is a former Assistant Conductor of the world-renown City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra - CBSO in the UK, and has appeared in front of the BBC National Orchestra of Wales - BBC NOW, the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, Phion Orkest, Orchestra del Teatro Lirico di Cagliari, Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano “LaVerdi”, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

Highlights of this 21/22 season are his debuts with the Hong Kong Philharmonic - HKPhl, Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, Belgrade Philharmonic, and the visits to the concert seasons of Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano “LaVerdi”, Euskadiko Orkestra, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra - CBSO. 

In June 2020 Santonja was selected among the four most promising young conductors to take part in the exclusive masterclasses with Iván Fischer and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam.

Jaume is the founder of the AbbatiaViva music collective and has also an activity as a music arranger and orchestrator, as well as a passionate composer for chamber music works.

As a player, Jaume was the principal percussionist of the  Antwerp Symphony Orchestra for a period of seven and as a student was member of the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and the Verbier Festival Orchestra where he had the privilege to play under conductors such as Mariss Jansons, Daniele Gatti, Yannick Nezet-Seguin, Valery Gergiev, Pierre Boulez, Andris Nelsons, Zubin Mehta, James Levine, Charles Dutoit, Essa-Pekka Salonen etc.

Jaume has seen success at several conducting competitions. Holds a Master of Music (conducting) from the  Royal Conservatory of Antwerp (Belgium) a Master of Music (percussion) from the Amsterdam Conservatorium (the Netherlands) and a Bachelor's degree in music from ESMuC (Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya, Barcelona).