Canadian baritone Drew Santini performs opera, oratorio and chamber music, and collaborates on a diverse gamut of musical projects. Comfortable in repertoire of many periods, he is particularly known for his stylish, sensitive performances of Bach and his contemporaries performing with such groups as Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, Gli Angeli Genève, The English Concert, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Orchestra of the 18th Century, Ensemble Masques and Netherlands Bach Society.

The 23/24 season began with a debut appearance with the Orchestra of the 18th Century singing Guglielmo in their tour of Mozart’s Così fan tutte with conductor Manoj Kamps and stage director Lisenka Heijboer Castañón. Other highlights of the season included performances of John Blow’s Venus & Adonis with Ensemble Masques in France and Spain, a tour of Handel’s Messiah with Nieuwe Philharmonie Utrecht led by Johannes Leertouwer, a program of Bach with the Luthers Bach Ensemble and guest conductor Ton Koopman, and Bach’s Matthäus-Passion with the Netherlands Bach Society led by Johanna Soller.

Most recently on the opera stage, Drew toured 8:Metamorphosis, a dance opera by Nicole Beutler Projects. He performed the role of William in Philip Glass’ The Fall of the House of Usher under Carlo Boccadoro with Opera2Day, Le Mari in Poulenc’s Les Mamelles de Tirésias at the Dutch National Opera under Roger Vignoles and Ben in Menotti’s The Telephone in a collaboration between the Nederlandse Reisopera and Gothenburg Opera. Other opera credits include Don Giovanni (Don Giovanni), Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), Papageno (Die Zauberflöte), Le Gendarme (Les Mamelles de Tirésias), Lockit (Beggar’s Opera), Ramiro (L’heure Espagnole), and Mr. Splinters (The Tender Land). He has given world premieres in opera creating such roles as Gilfaethwy the False (Wolf-in-Skins by Gregory Spears), Gunnar (The Raven’s Kiss by Evan Fein), and Reporter (Séance on a Wet Afternoon by Stephen Schwartz).

Drew co-founded Damask Vocal Quartet, whose 2018 album O schöne Nacht, featuring music of Brahms and his contemporaries, won France’s Choc de Classica award. He has recorded albums with Gli Angeli Genève, La Bande Montréal Baroque, BachPlus, and Oerknal! New Music Collective. He appears in over 25 works on ‘All of Bach’, a project by the Netherlands Bach Society to record the complete oeuvre.


Drew holds degrees from The Juilliard School (MM) and Manhattan School of Music (BM). He currently lives in The Hague, Netherlands.