Young Performer Series: Santiago Canon Valencia

SANTIAGO CAÑON VALENCIA

Born in Bogotá, Colombia in May 1995, Santiago Cañon Valencia has always been surrounded by music. His father, Ricardo Cañon, is a clarinetist with the Bogotá Philharmonic, and his mother, Roció Valencia, studied the cello. His older sister, Natalia, is a violinist, and several other relatives are musicians.

Santiago began studying cello at age four under the supervision of his mother and continued his formal studies for the next eight years with the Polish cellist Maestro Henryk Zarzycki. Under Maestro Zarzycki's instruction, Santiago began to perform and enter cello competitions in Colombia from the age of five. He entered his first international contest, the Carlos Prieto International Cello Competition in Morelia, Mexico, in August 2006, where, at the age of eleven, he was awarded the Elizabeth Parisot Prize for Promising Young Cellist.

As a result of his performance there and his participation in the competition's master classes, Maestro Prieto took a special interest in Santiago and recommended him to his friend, Yo-Yo Ma. Therefore, when Yo-Yo Ma visited Bogotá in June 2007, Santiago had the opportunity to meet privately with the great cellist, play for him, and even receive individual instruction from him.

Since Maestro Zarzycki left Bogotá to return to his native Poland in March 2007, Santiago has been without a permanent teacher. He studied in New Zealand with cellist James Tennant from September through December 2007, where he had the opportunity to give several recitals with the pianist Katherine Austin and to perform Haydn's Cello Concerto in D Major with the Chamber Orchestra of the University of Waikato. As a result of his success there, the University of Waikato has invited Santiago to return to New Zealand, where he will study again with James Tennant from July through December 2008.

Web sites: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=luisca2007

http://www.myspace.com/santiagocanon

Popper's Spinning Song (12 Years old)



Paganini 24



Haydn Excerpt:



Dvorák Excerpt:



With Yo-Yo Ma


















With Henryk Zarzycki and PieterWispelwey:


















With Carlos Prieto