Avila Santo
b. 1991 (Los Angeles, CA)
www.avilasanto.com | avilasanto@gmail.com
Education
2014 B.A. in Professional Music and Latin Percussion, Berklee College of Music
2023 Awo of Isese IFA, Adesanya lineage, Ode Remo
1991 Capoeira Professor, Capoeira Batuque
Residencies and Fellowships
2025 Pioneer Works Music Residence
2024 NJCF Artist Fellow
2022 Emerging Composer’s Fellow for Sony Music
2021 BLK NWS Musician in Residence
2021 Zeal Artist in Residence
Awards
2020 Sundance Composer’s Lab Semi Finalist
2016 & 2019 Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affair Artist in Residence
2013 & 2014 Dean’s List, Berklee College of Music, Boston, MA
2010 & 2014 Young American Musician Scholarship, Berklee College of Music, Boston
Music Composition & Commissioned Work
2025 Shallow Water, NFL 360
2025 Terms & Conditions, BLK NWS, A24
2023 Random Acts of Flyness, Season 2, HBO
2024 El Rio Entre Nosotros, Directed by Sophia Munoz
2023 The Ocean Listens To No One, Directed by Jasiel Louison
2023 RISE, Alison Saar & LACMA
2022 Trust Issues , Directed by Reva Santo
2022 Womb, Body as a Crossroads, Creative Capital
2020 MAZE, Studio Album
2020 Makelé, Studio Album
Audio/Mixing Engineer & Media Production
2017 Stay Inside, Earl Sweatshirt and Knxwledge
2017 Red Bull Music Academy Festival Los Angeles
2022 Hilos Sagrados, Winter Jendayi
2022 The Dreamer in Their Tower, Nahhphet
2020 Trust Issues EP, Reva Santo
2021 Bedtime Stories, Black University
Assistant
2024 Artist Assistant, Catalog and Provenance for Bruria Finkel
2024 Assistant, Charlese Antoinette and Charant Gold
Teaching
2019-2020 Teaching Artist, Los Angeles County Juvenile Halls
2017-2019 Teaching Artist, Rhythm Arts Alliance
2018-2020 Teaching Artist, Artworx LA
2018-2020 Drumline and Jazz Band Teacher, Fairfax High School
2020 Music History Teacher, St. Monica’s
2014-Present Private Instructor, Music Lessons with Avila
2014-Present Capoeira Professor, Capoeira Batuque