Santiago Gil Duarte (he/him) is a Venezuelan cellist currently studying at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland under the tutelage of Martin Storey. He is a very active performer and has a broad portfolio: he is the founder and conductor of Garúa Tango Club, and in September 2024 he toured Europe with the internationally renowned Japanese post-rock band MONO. 

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He completed most of his studies in Argentina and started playing cello at the age of 9 at the Manuel De Falla Conservatoire where he graduated in 2016. He followed his higher education degree in the Universidad Nacional de Artes in Buenos Aires where he performed Gabriela Y Buenos Aires as a soloist with the Orquesta de Tango de la UNA and the Haydn Cello Concerto with Camerata Rosedal. He also was a member of the Reencuentro Cycles where he performed multiple works of chamber music such as Dvorak Quintet No. 2, Bach cello suite No. 5 and Grieg cello sonata with both national and international soloists such as Fernanda Morello and Daniela Tabernig.

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As well as a performer he is an accomplished composer, specializing in electronic and ambient music. In September 2023 he got a commission from the Scottish Ballet for an audio-visual project with dancers and live-electronics. He is also a multi-instrumentalist, playing piano and guitar in multiple projects.