Gilson Santos

Born in the city of São Gonçalo – Rio de Janeiro, he began his studies in the band of the Henrique Lage State Technical School and in the Symphonic Band of the Colégio São Vicente de Paula, in the city of Niterói – RJ, under the direction of Maestro Josué Moreira Campos.
 Master in Music and Graduate in Trumpet at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (Unirio) in the class of Professor Dr. Nailson Simões and Dr. Marco Túlio de Paula. He studied arranging with Marcos Feitosa, Luís Filipe de Lima, Marcelo Amazonas, Gabriel Improta and Célio Murilo. He studies orchestration with Maestro Guilherme Bernstein at the Unirio. He has written several arrangements for trumpet groups, but it was not until 2009 that he composed his first piece for this group: “Seventy Spring’s”. This piece was premiered at the International Meeting of Trumpet Players in the city of Salvador – BA. On this occasion the piece was performed by: Dr. Charles Schlueter (1st trumpet of the Boston Symphony), Mieria Farrés (1st trumpet of the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra), Dr. Nailson Simões (Professor of Unirio), Dr. Maico Lopes (Professor of Unb), Dr. Joatan Nascimento (Professor at Ufba) and Gilson Santos.
 He was a trumpet teacher at the traditional Villa Lobos Music school and has been a military musician for 20 years. After thirteen years as first trumpet and soloist in the Marine Corps Symphonic Band, he now works as an arranger and composer.
He played and participated in recordings with numerous Brazilian artists such as: Gilberto Gil, Luiz Melodia, Caetano Veloso, Diogo Nogueira, Blitz, Almir Guineto, Egberto Gismont, Pepeu Gomes, Baby Consuelo, Martinho da Vila and others. He participated in recordings with samba schools, theater musicals, soundtracks for TV and cinema.
For five years he was a trumpet player with the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira Jovem and the Orquestra Sinfônica David Machado (from the town of Campos dos Goytacazes). He is currently a trumpet player with the Rio de Janeiro Soloists Orchestra and Rio Sinfônica Orchestra.
 He is frequently invited to perform with the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro, the National Symphony Orchestra (UFF) and the Petrobras Sinfônica Orchestra (as arranger).

In 2016, he won first place in the Trombonanza-2016 composition competition with the piece “IJEXÁ” for trombone octet, which was premiered at the festival and played by trombonists of different nationalities. In 2017, he won first place in three categories at the same competition: Composition for Tuba Quartet (Casquinha de Siri), in the Tuba Instrument and Piano category (Rio Vermelho) and in the Arranger category, for a large LowBrass ensemble. In 2018, he won the competition for symphonic jazz arrangements organized by the Symphony Orchestra of the Federal College of Bahia.
He has won several composition prizes, including: In 2019, the symphonic suite “Mar que Fala Português” for concert band won second prize in the SMP Press competition for contemporary and sacred Music, sponsored by the website Sheet Music Plus – Hal Leonard. In 2020, he won first prize in the SMP Press-Edition Peter contemporary music composition competition with the piece "Sagres-Symphonic Overture" for wind orchestra. The world premiere took place in May 2021 in the city of Lisbon - Portugal by the Banda da Armada Portuguesa.
He is currently active as a composer, arranger and trumpeter. He has several arrangements and compositions for symphony orchestra, chamber music, symphony orchestra and big band.