As arranger/producer, All About Jazz writes, “Renowned Arranger Steven Santoro [has] a feel for mood, time and place [making] every turn of phrase feel right at home. His arrangements highlight organic attractions of love and personal expression, and with a translucence of effect that allows any listener’s interpretations to glow through.”
"With impeccable intonation and phrasing, his voice navigates through various genres, is pliable, expressive, soft and emphatic without ever losing its natural sound. Santoro is a high caliber performer" - Intermezzo-Konzerte, Horst Engels
The New York Observer wrote, “He’s a wildly accomplished performer with a soulful intensity and movie-star sex appeal. [He] takes risks and lands on his feet every time.”
Jochen Berger of the Colburger Tageblatt writes "Standards like "The Thrill is gone" meet Santoro's own, often ballad-esk tinged pieces, which are included on the new CD "Deep in August". Especially the title song proves that Santoro as a composer also has the ability to write pieces with hit potential. Santoro's voice with its velvety soft timbre is wonderfully supple and versatile
In Coburg Germany, the Neue Presse writes "His voice pulls you in from the very first moment." and "He either lets his voice soar through great melodic lines or whispers his desire into the microphone in a way that lets the audience fully feel the emotion."
"Santoro's voice moved between strength and fragility with amazing ease, the fine line between beauty and pain, as Steven Santoro called it, was literally tangible." - Johannes Koch
Steven Santoro's voice caresses the soul. [His] songs are the perfect fusion of contemporary jazz and popular music, coupled with technique, style, spirit and originality.
The New York Post said of Steven, “A Knockout – He radiates an appealing sense of joy.”
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After receiving a music degree from U-Mass in Afro-American Music and Jazz, Steven Kowalczyk Santoro moved to Los Angeles where he was signed to Atlantic Records by the legendary producer and label founder, Ahmet Ertegun. His first album charted on Jazz radio in the USA and reached number 1 in England.
Steven continued to release albums of his original music after moving to New York City playing clubs, touring and working as a studio vocalist. His voice has appeared on many national and international TV and radio ads. He continued to work with the incredibly talented producer Shane Keister who co-produced the Atlantic album. Since then, Steven has recorded and played live with some of the music industry’s best and most well known players.
He not only produced most of his own albums, but arranged and produced for various indie artists over the years. Steven even worked with Sting as a background vocalist with Lisa Fischer on the BBC/PBS Special, “A Winter’s Night - Live at Durham Cathedral”.
A Professor at Berklee College Of Music, Steven has enjoyed finding new ways to inspire young musicians. Aside from the courses he teaches on the Boston campus, he has authored a Berklee Online course on digital audio workstation production which empowers vocalists to take control of their music and workflow.
In an artistic zigzag, Steven composed a song cycle for Contemporary String Quartet and Voice. “here.gone.” is a collection of songs about life through the lens of mortality. The pioneering ensemble in the genre, Turtle Island String Quartet, got on board and recorded the 15 song work with him.
While teaching at Berklee, Steven continued to headline on multiple European tours with his original music, worked as a studio vocalist on album projects and jingles, produced albums, music videos and short films. He also taught and conducted workshops in Europe, Canada and China. He continues to take part in the creative projects that appeal to him the most.
There has been a concurrent passion for filmmaking that continues to evolve for Steven. It began with the desire to make his own music videos and has grown into the production of short films and commercial work for businesses and other artists. Steven has made it his mission to understand every part of the process of making films. Though writing, camera work, audio, acting, voice over, scoring editing and post production, he embraces everything he can about the art form. He is now transitioning from a deep concentration in music to a life that includes filmmaking and the music production that accompanies it.
Steven now lives in Western Massachusetts and is loving his new creative pursuits.
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