Santa Bušs is Latvian composer especially interested in detailed pre-compositional process and peculiarly in working with extra-musical ideas (found in other disciplines of art, physiology, history, mythology, nature, architecture, medicine, sports, philosophy, etc.). Although her main focus and also form of expression has been linked with instrumental music, lately she has discovered a deep interest in voice and its possibilities, as well as is very keen to expand her approach towards sound and composition exploring different forms of collaboration. This includes also exploring territories between conventional and unconventional notation and performance techniques, as well as experimenting between the boundaries of music, theatre and opera, and focusing on the physical manipulation of instruments and the presence of musicians as a source of drama.

Santa Bušs has written for various set-ups, including wide range of chamber music, small scale stage pieces, orchestral scores, sound installations, works for choir and electronics... Her works has been performed throughout Europe, in Americas, Asia and Australia by numerous renowned artists, including mandolinist Avi Avital and singers Carla Huhtanen, Fiona Kimm, Lori Lixenberg, BIT20 Ensemble and conductors Christian Karlsen and Trond Madsen, Convergence New Music Ensemble and cond. Thomas Herzog, Divertimento Ensemble, Ensemble Aleph, Altera Veritas, Ensemble Aris, EnsembleSpectrum, United Instruments of Lucilin, Ensemble Kochi and cond. Isao Matsushita, Ensemble mise-en and cond. David Bloom, Ensemble Multilatérale and cond. Léo Warynski, Ensemble for New Music Tallinn, Ensemble NÜ, Ensemble Orchestral Contemporain and cond. Daniel Kawka, Ensemble Suono Giallo, Ensemble TaG, Hong Kong New Music Ensemble and cond. Sharon Choa, IEMA and cond. Clemens Heil, Leipziger Bläserquintett, Norrbotten NEO, Platypus Ensemble, Quintus Anima and cond. Ainārs Rubiķis, Slowind, SNIM, Trio Art-i-Shock, pianists Dzintra Erliha, Ian Pace, clarnetists Victor de la Rosa and Fie Schouten, violinist Magdalēna Geka, wind quintet Carion, Sinfonietta Rīga and cond. Normunds Šnē, Orchestra Rīga, Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and cond. Zsolt Nagy and Andris Poga a.o.

Santa has studied piano and organ at Cēsis College of Music, and both composition and musicology at the Latvian Academy of Music (under Arturs Maskats and Rolands Kronlaks, master’s degree in 2009) and Hamburg University of Music and Theatre (under Manfred Stahnke). She has supplemented her studies with 30+ mastercourses with renowned composers, as well as been part of the Jerwood Opera Writing Programme (2014-15, UK), New Music Incubator (2015-16, Croatia/Belgium), Composers LAB Heritage & Modernity (2016, Egypt), ENOA/Helsinki Festival’s Music Theatre Creation Lab (2016, Finland), Women Opera Makers Workshop supervised by Katie Mitchell (2016-17, organized by Festival d’Aix, France), Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg’s TalentLAB#18 (2018), and the Central and Eastern European Countries Composers Field Trip in China (2018). Santa Bušs has been head of ISCM Latvian section (2013-17).