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 harmony, working diligently through volumes 1 and 2 of Hindemith’s composition books. And shortly thereafter decided to dedicate his life to music. He taught himself sound design and electronic production using Ableton, began composing and producing original works, and scoring his peers’ films.

Carlos’s first opportunity to compose for a group was for a 2023 production of Moliere’s The Love Doctor. Carlos began with Jean-Baptiste Lully’s original compositions for the play and developed a score for woodwind quintet and harpsichord derived from it. He integrated the musicians into the performance and was nominated for a Cappie Award. In 2024, he composed, recorded, and produced a digital score for a production of Danielle Mohlman’s adaptation of Frankenstein. For this work he was awarded a Cappie. He has licensed the music for future productions of the play.

Carlos’s musical influences span the globe. He draws on influences as varied as salsa, alternative rock, electronic dance music, and others. He believes that all music can touch the soul. As a performer, Carlos is comfortable in classical, funk, and jazz settings and prioritizes supporting the ensemble.

Carlos is currently studying interactive media scoring and contemporary writing and production at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.