Cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia Announces 2025-2026 Season Highlights

North American Engagements with the San Francisco Symphony,
Kansas City Symphony, Montgomery Symphony Orchestra,
Grand Rapids Symphony, and Camerata Pacifica 

European Schedule Includes Appearances at the 
Macedonian Philharmonic and Budapest International Cello Competition

World Premiere Performance of Amparo Ángel’s Cello Concerto at 
the Festival de Música de Morelia in Mexico

New Single, Ouróboros, Released in Summer 2025, as part of 
Deutsche Grammophon’s Musical Moments Series

“technically flawless” – The Strad

“one of the most promising young cellists” – Forbes Colombia

santiagocanonvalencia.com

New York, NY (September 11, 2025) – Praised as a "virtuoso of outstanding versatility and technical ease" (The Violin Channel), Colombian-born cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia announces his 2025-2026 season, featuring a robust international schedule of orchestral and solo engagements across the United States, Europe, and Latin America.

The new season begins on the heels of an eventful summer for Cañón-Valencia, who released his newest single featuring the self-composed Ouróboros on Deutsche Grammophon’s Musical Moments series in July 2025. The summer’s live performances have brought him to a performance with the Brevard Music Center Orchestra and concerts with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá in his native Colombia, where he performed in the Colombian premiere of Victor Herbert’s Cello Concerto No. 2. With the start of his 2025-2026 season in Europe, Cañón-Valencia features in solo recitals in Spain and Portugal, performs as a soloist with the Macedonian Philharmonic, and serves on the jury for the Budapest International Cello Competition. In the United States, he is featured as a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony, and Camerata Pacifica. He also performs in recitals with pianist Victor Asuncion in Stanford and La Jolla, CA. His Latin American schedule takes him to the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Festival de Música de Morelia in Mexico and the Cartagena Music Festival in Colombia.

From Monday, September 8, 2025, to Sunday, September 14, 2025, Cañón-Valencia serves on the jury of the Budapest International Cello Competition, also comprising Anne Gastinel, András Keller, Jens Peter Maintz, Frans Helmerson, Gwen Starker, and István Várdai. Held at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, Hungary, the competition culminates in a final round on Saturday, September 13, 2025 in the Great Hall of the Liszt Academy, where three finalists will be adjudicated on their performance of select cello concertos with the National Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of György Vashegyi.

In his first North American engagement of the season, Cañón-Valencia performs in Camerata Pacifica’s season-opening concert on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 at The Huntington in San Marino, CA. Also featuring violinists Paul Huang and Alena Hove, violists Che-Yen Chen and Meredith Crawford, and cellist Ani Aznavoorian, the program comprises Arensky’s String Quartet in A Minor Op. 35, Vasks’ Castillo Interior for Violin & Cello, and Brahms’ String Sextet in G Major, Op. 36. The program will be reprised on Thursday, September 25, 2025 at the Colburn School in Los Angeles; Friday, September 26, 2025 at the Music Academy in Santa Barbara, CA; and Sunday, September 28, 2025, at Scherr Forum in Thousand Oaks, CA.

Cañón-Valencia returns to Europe for a performance of Elgar’s Cello Concerto with the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra on Thursday, October 2, 2025. The program also includes Bete Ilin’s Macedonian Paraphrase no. 2 and Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8.

On Saturday, October 11, 2025, he performs a solo recital as part of the Festival Internacional de Música de Gaia in Gaia, Portugal.

Cañón-Valencia begins a string of North American engagements on Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18, 2025, performing Marquez’s Espejos en la Arena for cello and orchestra with the Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestra at the DeVos Performance Hall. The program, also featuring Dvorák’s Symphony No. 9, will be led by guest conductor Lina Gonzalez-Granados.

He goes on to perform in recital with pianist Victor Asuncion on Saturday, October 20, 2025 at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library at La Jolla, CA. The program includes Duparc’s Lamento, Debussy’s Cello Sonata, Ravel’s Sonate Posthume, Poulenc’s Suite française, and Stravinsky’s Suite italienne. Joined again by Asuncion, Cañón-Valencia makes his Bay Area debut in a performance of the same program at the Bing Concert Hall in Stanford, CA, on Wednesday, October 22, 2025.

On Sunday, November 1, 2025, he joins the San Francisco Symphony for a Día de los Muertos concert celebrating Latin American music and culture under the baton of Lina Gonzalez-Granados, performing as soloist on Arturo Márquez’ Espejos en la Arena for cello and orchestra. The program also features works by Gabriela Ortiz, Ricardo Castro, Paul Desenne, Jimmy López, and Gabriela Lena Frank.

On Monday, November 17, 2025, he performs the U.S. premiere of Tobias Picker’s Cello Concerto with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra in An Evening with Tobias Picker, also featuring other works by Picker including The Encantadas and And Suddenly It’s Evening. Music Director Jamie Reeves conducts.

Appearing for two dates at the Festival de Música de Morelia in Mexico, Cañón-Valencia first performs on Monday, November 20, 2025 in a solo cello recital featuring his own work Ascent into the Deep, alongside works by Bach, Damian P. de Leon, and Osvaldo Golijov. On November 22, 2025, he joins the Colombian Youth Philharmonic Orchestra as soloist in the world premiere of Amparo Ángel’s Cello Concerto.

In his first engagement of the new year, Cañón-Valencia appears at the 20th anniversary edition of Colombia’s Cartagena Music Festival, running from Sunday, January 4 to Monday, January 12, 2026.

On Saturday, February 7, 2026, he performs Dutilleux's Cello Concerto with the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra at the Pablo Casals Concert Hall in San Juan, Puerto Rico, under the baton of Music Director Maximiano Valdés. This landmark concert celebrates Valdés’ 17-year tenure with the orchestra in his final season as Music Director.

On Sunday, February 22, 2026, Cañón-Valencia makes an appearance at Gabriel von Seidl Concert Hall in Bad Tölz, Germany, performing with the London-based Marmen Quartet and violist Jonathan Brown in a program featuring Salina Fisher’s Heal alongside works for string quartet and sextet by Schubert, Brahms, and Schönberg.

He returns to the United States for engagements with the Kansas City Symphony on Friday, March 13, Saturday, March 14, and Sunday, March 15, 2026, performing Saint Saëns' Cello Concerto No. 1 under the direction of guest conductor Samuel Lee. The program also includes Also sprach Zarathustra and Kaija Saariaho’s Du cristal (From Crystal).

Santiago Cañón-Valencia 2025-2026 Season Calendar

Monday, September 8, 2025–Sunday, September 14, 2025
Budapest International Cello Competition Jury
Franz Liszt Academy | Budapest, Hungary
Link: www.filharmonia.hu/en/competitions/budapest-international-cello-competition/competition-regulations

Tuesday, September 23, 2025 at 7:30pm 
Concert with Camerata Pacifica
The Huntington | San Marino, CA
Link: www.cameratapacifica.org/concerts-25-26/ 

Thursday, September 25, 2025 at 8:00pm
Concert with Camerata Pacifica
Colburn School | Los Angeles, CA
Link: www.cameratapacifica.org/concerts-25-26/ 

Friday, September 26, 2025 at 7:00pm
Concert with Camerata Pacifica
Music Academy of Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA
Link: www.cameratapacifica.org/concerts-25-26/ 

Sunday, September 28, 2025 at 3:00pm
Concert with Camerata Pacifica
Scherr Forum | Thousand Oaks, CA
Link: www.cameratapacifica.org/concerts-25-26/

Thursday, October 2, 2025 at 8:00pm
Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra
Macedonian Philharmonic Concert Hall | Skopje, Macedonia
Link: www.filharmonija.mk/events-and-tickets/?lang=en

Saturday, October 11, 2025 at 9:30pm
Festival Internacional de Música de Gaia
Cine-Teatro Eduardo Brazão | Gaia, Portugal
Link: www.cm-gaia.pt/pt/eventos/31-festival-internacional-de-musica-de-gaia/

Friday, October 17, 2025 at 7:30pm and Saturday, October 18, 2025, at 7:30pm
Grand Rapids Symphony with Lina Gonzalez Granados
DeVos Performance Hall | Grand Rapids, MI
Link: www.grsymphony.org/dvorak-and-the-americas 

Saturday, October 20, 2025 at 7:30pm
Recital with Victor Asuncion
Athenaeum Library | La Jolla, CA
Link: www.ljathenaeum.org/events/chamber-2025-1020

Program:
Henri Duparc – Lamento from Melodies
Claude Debussy – Cello Sonata
Maurice Ravel – Sonate posthume
Francis Poulenc – Suite Française
Maurice Ravel  – Pavane pour une infante défunte, Pièce en forme de Habanera 
Igor Stravinsky – Suite Italienne

Wednesday, October 22, 2025 at 7:30pm
Stanford Live presents Santiago Cañón-Valencia
Bing Concert Hall | Stanford, CA 
Link: www.live.stanford.edu/events/25-26season/bing-concert-hall/santiago-canon-valencia/ 

Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 3:00pm
San Francisco Symphony Celebrates Día de los Muertos
Davies Symphony Hall | San Francisco, CA
Link: www.sfsymphony.org/Buy-Tickets/2025-26/DIA-DE-LOS-MUERTOS 

Monday, November 17, 2025 at 7:00pm
Montgomery Symphony Orchestra
Davis Theatre for the Performing Arts | Montgomery, AL
Link: www.montgomerysymphony.org/masterworks2/ 

Monday, November 20, 2025 
Festival de Música de Morelia 
Ocampo Theater | Morelia, Mexico
Link: www.festivalmorelia.mx/programa#

Wednesday, November 22, 2025 
Festival de Música de Morelia 
Matamoros Theater | Morelia, Mexico
Link: www.festivalmorelia.mx/programa#

Sunday, January 4 – Monday, January 12, 2026
Cartagena Music Festival
Teatro Adolfo Mejía | Cartagena, Colombia
Link: cartagenamusicfestival.com/show-item/albeniz-cuatro-pinturas-de-espana/?lang=en

Wednesday, January 8, 2026 at 7:00pm
Cartagena Festival
Teatro Adolfo Mejía | Cartagena, Colombia
Link: cartagenamusicfestival.com/20-anos/?lang=en

Saturday, February 7, 2026 at 7:00pm
Puerto Rico Symphony with Maximiano Valdés
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Link: www.ticketera.com/events/detail/concierto-clasico-14

Saturday, February 22, 2026 at 4:00pm
Concert with Marmen Quartet & Jonathan Brown
Gabriel von Seidl Concert Hall | Bad Tölz, Germany
Link: www.quartettissimo.de/quartettissimo-konzerte-saison-25-26.html 

Friday, March 13, 2026 at 8:00pm
Saturday, March 14, 2026 at 8:00pm 
Sunday, March 15, 2026 at 2:00pm
Kansas City Symphony 
Helzberg Hall | Kansas City, MO
Link: www.tickets.kcsymphony.org/saint-saëns-strauss 

About Santiago Cañón-ValenciaColombian cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia is a prolific soloist, composer, commissioner, recording artist, painter, and photographer described as "technically flawless… totally under the skin of the composers' idioms" (The Strad). A 2022 BBC New Generation Artist, Cañón-Valencia was born in Bogotá in 1995 and made his orchestral debut as a soloist at age six with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá.

During the 2025-2026 season, Cañón-Valencia takes on an international schedule including solo recitals in Spain and Portugal, a performance with the Macedonian Philharmonic, and a seat on the jury for the Budapest International Cello Competition. In the United States, he performs with the Kansas City Symphony, Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, Grand Rapids Symphony, and Camerata Pacifica. He also appears in recitals with pianist Victor Asuncion in Stanford and La Jolla, CA. His Latin American schedule takes him to the Puerto Rico Symphony, the Festival de Música de Morelia in Mexico, and the Cartagena Music Festival in Colombia.

Cañón-Valencia’s many accolades include Silver Medalist and "Audience Favorite" at the 2019 XVI International Tchaikovsky Competition; recipient of the 2018 Starker Foundation Award; Third Prize honoree at the 2017 Queen Elisabeth International Competition; and First Prize winner at the Carlos Prieto International Cello Competition and Beijing International Music Competition.

In his solo career, he has performed with such orchestras as the SWR Symphonieorchester, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, Frankfurt Radio Orchestra, Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, and Alabama Symphony, as well as all of the major orchestras in his native Colombia. During the 2023-2024 season, he made his debut at London's Wigmore Hall as a BBC Next Generation Artist alongside pianist Naoko Sonoda. He has been featured at South Korea’s Mostly Cello Festival and in 100th birthday celebrations in honor of Janos Starker in Seoul, South Korea, and Tokyo, Japan.

Passionate about collaboration with living composers, Cañón-Valencia will perform the world premiere of Amparo Angel’s Cello Concerto at the Morelia Festival in Mexico, as well as the US premiere of Tobias Picker’s Cello Concerto with the Montgomery Symphony. Previously, he performed world premieres including Carlos Andrés Mejía’s Cello Concerto, “Aurora” at Colombia’s Pereira Music Fest, Jorge Pinzón's Cello Concerto "Rapsodia a los 4 Elementos" at the Cartagena International Music Festival, and Carlos Izcaray's commissioned cello concerto Stringmaster with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.

In 2024, Cañón-Valencia released his debut single on Deutsche Grammophon, a recording of Arvo Pärt’s Fratres with pianist Naoko Sonoda. Two additional singles will follow. His latest complete album, Ascenso (Sono Luminus, 2022), showcases his own compositions and arrangements, plus works commissioned from contemporary Colombian composers. Earlier recordings include his acclaimed 2013 debut release Solo, an album of Schubert and Beethoven with pianist Andrea Lucchesini (Egea, 2020), and a recording of Russian cello sonatas and popular cello repertoire with pianist Katherine Austin (Atoll, 2015).

Cañón-Valencia has been sponsored by the Mayra & Edmundo Esquenazi Scholarship through the Salvi Foundation since 2011. 

Learn more at www.santiagocanonvalencia.com.

*Photo Credit: Martin Zimny

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