Santiago Kodela is an Argentinean composer and classical guitarist. He began his guitar studies at the Conservatorio Superior de Música “Manuel de Falla” (Buenos Aires, Argentina) under the tutelage of María Catalina Bello. After years of outstanding academic performance, he relocated to Europe to pursue his bachelor’s degree in Music Performance at the Royal Irish Academy of Music (Dublin, Ireland). Guided by Marion Hyland, he excelled in the performance of classical guitar repertoire.
In 2018, Santiago completed a master’s degree in Music and Media Technologies (Trinity College Dublin) where he specialized in Audio Production and Contemporary Music Composition. He composed a classical guitar quartet suite based on the works of contemporary guitarists and composers Allan Holdsworth and Fredrik Thordendal which was mastered by Grammy-winning mastering engineer legend Bob Katz.
His compositions tilt towards rhythmic richness, harmonic landscapes, and experimentation of contrasting musical languages. Although he specializes in guitar, he also writes music for more traditional ensembles, choir, and other solo instruments.
As a performer, Santiago toured extensively around both Argentina and Ireland and has taken countless masterclasses with some of the world’s top performers, including artists such as Berta Rojas, Xuefei Yang, Walter Malosetti, Odair Assad, and Craig Ogden, among others.
Today, Santiago is our featured artist in “The Inside Story,” a blog series exploring the inner workings and personalities of our artists. Read on to discover where Santiago would love to find creative inspiration and reconnect with nature…
If you could make a living at any job in the world, what would that job be?
That would be writing and performing my own music. I like writing both for solo instruments and ensembles. However, I would love to tour as much as possible by performing my own guitar pieces.
If you could instantly have expertise performing one instrument, what instrument would that be?
That would be singing. Although I did take some singing lessons and do a bit of it, I’d love to be able to pull any complicated line, as I am a big fan of choral music and how voices blend together.
When did you realize that you wanted to be an artist?
I would say when I was about 17/18 years old after grabbing a guitar for the first time. I strongly believe music is the best companion during our moments of solitude and loneliness.
What does this album mean to you personally?
It means quite a lot because the piece Two Lords was originally composed for my Master’s Thesis end of year project, and it is great to see it published by a renowned international label. It is my first release as a composer published by a third party.
If you could spend creative time anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
I would love to spend a good few weeks in a remote place such as Iceland. I love to connect with nature, and Iceland looks like an awesome place to do a bit more soul searching while connecting with beautiful natural scenery.
Who were your first favorite artists growing up?
I’ve had many, but in terms of guitar playing, and up to the date, some of my preferred guitarists/composers are Vicente Amigo, David Russell, and John Williams (Australian guitarist).
Two Lords on PATTERNS is now available for streaming or purchase through Navona Records. Click here to explore this new album.
Santiago Kodela is an award-winning Classical Guitarist & Composer working in the areas of concert, solo instrument, chamber, and choral music. His works explore various aspects of sound and harmony, adventuring intensely into the areas of iso-rhythms, metric modulation, and chord harmonization. In 2022 the album PINNACLE VOL. 2 was awarded the 2nd Prize Silver Medal by North-American Global Music Awards in the classical category. Furthermore, his piece Delicate Soliloquies was shortlisted as a finalist in the 2nd Composition Competition by the Dutch Guitar Foundation by a jury integrated by Steve Goss, JacobTV, and Nikita Koshkin.
