Christopher Santiago

At just 19 years of age, Chris Santiago is already charming audiences with his smooth voice and gifted trumpet playing. Chris combines his two musical talents to bring a fresh, exciting twist to the music of the great American Songbook. He is the 2019 recipient of the Songbook Celebration Award presented by 5-time Grammy nominated artist Michael Feinstein and the Songbook Academy. In January 2020, he appeared with Feinstein and the Kravis Center Pops Orchestra for the “Big Band Celebrating the Swingers” concert at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. Chris was also named a 2020 National YoungArts Winner in Jazz Voice, one of the most prestigious and select awards given to talented young artists throughout the US.

In 2018, he received the Young Artist Award from the Society for the Preservation of the Great American Songbook, founded by the legendary radio personality Dick Robinson. Chris can be heard regularly on Legends Radio WLML 100.3 FM, as well as Dick Robinson’s nationally syndicated radio show American Standards by the Sea. He has appeared with award winning arranger/composer and original member of the Four Seasons, “The Hit Man” Charles Calello and his Orchestra, and has recorded several Songbook classics arranged by Calello. Chris has appeared with numerous jazz greats and songbook artists including pianist Mike Renzi, singer Nicolas King, the late, legendary drummer Duffy Jackson, and many more.

No stranger to the musical theatre stage, in May 2019, Chris received a Best Actor nomination for the Kravis Center Dream Awards, precursor to the prestigious Jimmy Awards (the National High School Theater Awards) held annually in New York City. In 2019, he appeared in the lead role as the Hunchback in the Disney stage version of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, and received much ovation for his performance. Chris first appeared on stage when he was just 4-years old as the youngest prince in the classic Broadway favorite The King & I. Since then, he has grown up in the theatre and has appeared in numerous productions including Seussical the Musical (JoJo), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Mike Teavee), Newsies (Spot Conlon), Titanic (Harold Bride), Miss Saigon (The Engineer), Aida (Mereb), The Music Man, Oliver, White Christmas, and many more. His YouTube videos on The King’s Academy channel have garnered millions of views and are some of the most popular on the channel.

Chris currently attends Florida International University where he is a jazz voice and trumpet major. Prior to college, he attended the acclaimed Conservatory of the Arts at The King’s Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, where he was a performing arts and instrumental music major. He served as lead trumpet for the conservatory’s jazz band, as well as all-county jazz band. He has been mentored by the brilliant musical duo of Jill and Rich Switzer, hosts of The Morning Lounge on Legends Radio. Both of his parents are talented musicians. His mother, mezzo-soprano Sonia Santiago is one of the most sought-after voice instructors in South Florida and is a voice professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University.