Carlos Santiago is a Philadelphia-based violinist, improviser, composer, and educator whose work blends classical training with Afrocentric and experimental perspectives. He uses sound to foster deep listening, collaboration, and playful exploration, pushing the violin beyond traditional models.

​

Raised in the Olney neighborhood by a timbalero father and church organist mother, Santiago grew up surrounded by music, city noise, and a rich record collection. After early Suzuki training and studies at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts, he encountered Anthony Braxton’s solo recordings, which sparked a lifelong engagement with Black avant-garde improvisation, jazz, salsa, Afrodiasporic rhythms, and contemporary composition.

​

As a composer, Santiago creates frameworks for group improvisation—balancing structure and freedom. As an improviser, he guides listeners through shifting soundscapes of texture, silence, and surprise. He has collaborated with artists such as PUBLIQuartet, Diane Monroe, Ursula Rucker, Marshall Allen, Japanese Breakfast, and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and performed at the Bang on a Can Marathon, High Zero Festival, Philadelphia Fringe Festival, and The Stone.

​

A member of Orchestra 2001, Black Pearl Orchestra, and People’s Music Supply, he co-founded Arcx and Bismuth Quartets. When not making music, Santiago enjoys chess, cooking, nature walks, and time with his children.