Conductor

Sonia Ben-Santamaria

“French conductor Ben-Santamaria is fast becoming one of the UK’s most sought after up-and-coming Opera conductor.”

Sonia Ben-Santamaria originally trained and graduated from the CRR de Toulouse, in piano and piano-accompaniment before graduating from the Royal Academy of Music, London in 2006.

She joined in 2010 the National Opera Studio, London and successively joined the English National Opera as Young Artist Repetiteur (2011-2012).
2017 marks her successful debut as an opera conductor. After a performance of Strauss’ Die Fledermaus Ben-Santamaria is noticed by Opera Holland Park and Royal Opera House Covent Garden producers. That same year, she becomes the first female conductor chosen to be Link Artist of the Royal Opera House Jette Parkers Young Artists scheme (2017-2018) as well as making her UK debut with Opera Holland Park and the City of London Sinfonia Orchestra conducting Verdi’s Un Ballo in maschera.

Sonia has learnt from mentors including Alex Ingram (ENO & ENB), Paul Nadler (MET), Sir T. Pappano (ROH M Director) and B. Haitink CH KBE. In 2018, Ben-Santamaria is one of the six women conductors selected worldwide for the Dallas Opera Hart Institute. In 2019-2020, she is invited to become the first female assistant associate conductor to Opera North, Leeds.

2022 marks Ben-Santamaria first engagements in France and her Italian conducting debut, but also her appointement as professor of orchestral conducting at the isdaT.