Steven Kowalczyk Santoro is an American composer and vocalist. During his career he has lived and worked in Los Angeles, New York City and New England. He is currently a Professor at Berklee College of Music and has toured quite a lot in Europe during the past decade performing originals along with his arrangements of Jazz standards.
Originally signed to Atlantic Records by Ahmet Ertegun, Steven later worked as a
background vocalist with Sting and has performed on high powered jingles for clients
such as Canon, Olive Garden, Nickelodeon, NBC, Panasonic and many more. His current passion project, “here.gone” is a modern multi-genre song cycle composed
for string quartet and voice. He takes a devilishly irreverent romp through the history of
human values and a heartbreakingly poignant look at love and loss. Recorded first with
the famed Turtle Island Quartet, “here.gone” live performances are being brought to the
stage with a new a talented group of musicians.
Steven has also produced and arranged for a host of indie artists over the years and
has presented workshops for vocalists and instrumentalists in the USA, Canada,
Europe and Asia, including sessions for Europe’s largest and most innovative
contemporary music contest, the Tour Music Festival.
With a degree in Afro-American Music and Jazz from The University of Massachusetts,
Steven is an improvisor in multiple styles, expressing himself both in collaboration with
live players and as a solo composer in the digital realm. As a prolific creator all around,
Steven continues to expand his vision with the production of his own music videos and
short films.