Santiago Kodela is a multi-award-winning classical guitarist and composer whose work spans solo, chamber, and choral music. His compositions explore the outer edges of rhythm and harmony, delving into iso-rhythms, metric modulation, and sophisticated chordal structures, while his performances balance technical precision with expressive nuance.
Santiago’s work has been internationally recognized with multiple accolades. These include a Bronze Medal for The Distant Shepherd, and two Silver Medals for his string quartet Euphoria and for his piano trio Bewildered Soliloquies, all published by Navona Records. He is also the recipient of a First Prize Gold Medal in the Senior Classical Guitar category at Ireland’s prestigious Feis Ceoil.
His music has been performed by renowned ensembles and artists such as the Fidelio Trio (London), Ficino Ensemble (Dublin), the Benda Quartet (Czech Republic), clarinetist Paul Roe, and the Kühn Choir of Prague. He has received multiple awards from the Arts Council of Ireland, supporting both his compositional development and performance activity.
Santiago is also the co-founder of Éire Guitar Duo, a dynamic chamber ensemble committed to expanding the guitar duo repertoire. The duo’s discography includes A Dance Between Lights and Shadows, EQUUS, and ICC Guitar Works, featuring first recordings of Irish composers affiliated with the Irish Composers’ Collective. With performances across Ireland and growing international recognition, their recent highlights include sold-out concerts in Dublin and a featured appearance at the Ards International Guitar Festival.
As a composer, Santiago is currently undertaking a Doctorate in Music (DMus) in composition at Technological University Dublin (TUD) under the supervision of Dr. Marco Ramelli. His research focuses on embodied guitar knowledge and the translation of idiomatic guitar gestures to other instruments and media. His latest projects include original compositions, arrangements of Argentine folk music, and participation in international residencies such as ICon Arts Festival (Romania) through the CMC Emerging Composer Scheme.
Santiago holds a Master’s in Music and Media Technologies from Trinity College Dublin, and a Bachelor’s in Music Performance from the Royal Irish Academy of Music. He began his classical guitar training at the Conservatorio Superior de Música “Manuel de Falla” in Buenos Aires. His performance career includes appearances with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra and masterclasses with celebrated guitarists such as Berta Rojas, Odair Assad, and Xuefei Yang.
His recordings are published by Navona Records and managed internationally by PARMA Recordings.