Carlos Santana Ortiz was born in Washington, DC and showed an interest in music at an early age. He began studying piano at 6 and trumpet at 9. At 14 he began to teach himself music theory, and taught himself sound design and electronic production using Ableton. Soon, Carlos began composing and producing original works, and scoring his peers’ films. Carlos began composing for theater in late High School, writing complete scores for Moliere’s The Love Doctor and Danielle Mohlman’s adaptation of Frankenstein, which earned him a Cappie award, and allowed him to license the music for future productions of the play.
Carlos’s primary specialty is in Video Game Music, and combines diverse influences such as Jazz, Latin, and Balkan music into a retro aesthetic. He has also been commissioned for compositions and arrangements for musicians such as Elijah Jamal Balbed and Marshall Keys.
Carlos is currently studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, double-majoring in Game and Interactive Media Scoring and Contemporary Writing and Production.