Happy Birthday, VC Artist Santiago Cañón–Valencia!

A student of Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt at the Kronberg Academy, Santiago is a former major prize winner at the Sphinx Competition and the Casals, Cassadó, Beijing, Prieto, Tchaikovsky and Queen Elisabeth International Cello Competitions

Today is cellist, VC Artist Santiago Cañón–Valencia’s 29th birthday!

Born in Bogota in 1995, Santiago was born into a musical family. His father is a clarinetist in the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra. Santiago began studying cello at the age of four with his mother Rocío Valencia and later with Henryk Zarzycki.

In 2002, at the age of six, he gave his first solo concert with the Bogotá Philharmonic Orchestra.

Among his many accolades, Cañón-Valencia was Silver Medalist and “Audience Favorite” at the 2019 XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition; recipient of the 2018 Starker Foundation Award; Third Prize honoree at the 2017 Queen Elisabeth International Competition; First Prize winner at the Carlos Prieto International Cello Competition, Beijing International Music Competition, Gisborne International Music Competition, and Lennox International Young Artists Competition; and a major prize-winner of the Sphinx, Casals, Johansen, Cassadó, and Adam Competitions.

VC ARTIST SANTIAGO CAÑÓN-VALENCIA | HAYDN CELLO CONCERTO IN C MAJOR | MUHAI TANG & ANTWERP SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | 2017