A 2022 BBC New Generation Artist and Winner of the Silver Medal and “Audience Favourite” Award at the 2019 XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition, Santiago Cañón-Valencia has been praised as one of the most promising young cellists of his generation. He was also awarded Third Prize at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth International Competition in Brussels (2017) and is a recipient of the Starker Foundation Award (2018) Mr. Cañón-Valencia has appeared with all the major orchestras in his native Colombia as well as with top orchestras and conductors around the world including the Mariinsky Orchestra with Valery Gergiev, Frankfurt Radio Orchestra with Christoph Eschenbach, Brussels Philharmonic with Stephane Deneve, and the SWR Symphonieorchester with Andris Poga, to name a few. As a recording artist, Santiago enjoys immersing himself in both known and unknown works, with a particular interest in commissioning, arranging, and writing his own works. His latest recording “Ascenso,” (Sono Luminus), showcases pieces arranged and written by Cañón-Valencia, as well as works commissioned and written for him by contemporary Colombian composers. Earlier recordings include Santiago’s debut CD “Solo,” which has been internationally acclaimed by the Strad Magazine, a CD with pianist Andrea Lucchesini that was dedicated to Schubert and Beethoven (Egea), as well as an album of Russian cello sonatas and popular pieces of the cello repertoire with pianist Katherine Austin (Atoll)