Guilhaume Santana
France
Bassoon
About
Born in Toulouse, Guilhaume Santana studied the violin for 10 years at the local conservatory of music before switching to the bassoon. The French Chilean musician studied with Prof.Dag Jensen at the Music University in Hannover/ Germany, and was a member of the Berlin Karajan Academy.
He was awarded the Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Prize in Berlin and the first prize at Wattrelos Competition for Young Soloists.
Guilhaume Santana is principal bassoon of the prestigious Lucerne Festival Orchestra and Mahler Chamber Orchestra. He held the same position for 10 seasons with the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie and the Orchestra Mozart in Bologna. A regular guest of major orchestras, Guilhaume appears with Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, Bavarian Radio symphonic orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, playing under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, Daniel Barenboim, Christian Thielemann, Pierre Boulez, Zubin Mehta…
Among others internationally acclaimed recordings, a testimony of his long collaboration with the late Maestro Claudio Abbado, who had a deep influence on Guilhaume’s career and musicality, is published by the label Deutsche Grammophon, with the Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra by W.A. Mozart.
As a soloist Guilhaume Santana appears with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Munich Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, Budapest Radio Orchestra, Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, Kurpfälzisches Kammerorchester Mannheim, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie and Orchestra Mozart under the conductors Claudio Abbado, Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, Gustavo Gimeno, Karel-Marc Chichon…
Recordings for the labels Deutsche Grammophon, Claves, and major German Radios.
His chamber music activities lead him to the Kammermusiksaal of the Berlin Philharmonie, the Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam with partners such as Emmanuel Ax, Till Fellner, Alexander Lonquich, Giuliano Carmignola, Albrecht Mayer, the Berliner Barocksolisten and Sabine Meyer and her wind ensemble.
Guilhaume Santana teaches bassoon and chamber music at the University for Music in Saarbrücken/Germany, and as a Guest Professor at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Earlier teaching activities at the HEAR Academy in Strasbourg and at the University of Music Freiburg im Breisgau.
He holds masterclasses in Europe, Asia and South America.
