Dennis DeSantis ’05E (DMA) is a composer, percussionist, sound designer, author, and educator whose experience spans a wide spectrum of musical contexts—from concert halls to clubs, studios to classrooms. His work explores the increasingly fluid boundaries between musical worlds, blending classical training with deep involvement in electronic music technologies and cultures.

He was formerly Head of Music Learning at Ableton, an industry-leading music technology company that develops software and hardware for music production and performance. At Ableton, he led the development of interactive music learning websites including Learning Music and Learning Synths. He conceived and authored the curricula for both sites, designing interactive tools and curating or composing musical examples to support musicians of all ages and experience levels. At Ableton, he also contributed to the design of Live and Push, wrote the user manuals for both products, helped establish the Certified Trainer program, and served as a curator and moderator for Ableton’s Loop conference from 2015 to 2018.

DeSantis is the author of Making Music: 74 Creative Strategies for Electronic Music Producers, a book widely used in music production and technology courses. While known for his expertise with Ableton Live, his understanding of creative workflows extends across the broader field of digital audio and electronic music production.

 His electronic music has been released on labels such as Ghostly, Global Underground, Cocoon, and Kanzleramt, and he has performed at clubs and festivals in North America, Europe, and Japan. 

 As a concert composer, DeSantis has been commissioned and performed by ensembles including Alarm Will Sound, eighth blackbird, Sō Percussion, and the Prism Saxophone Quartet, with performances at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Alice Tully Hall, the Library of Congress, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

 Notable projects include an arrangement of Autechre’s music for chamber orchestra (commissioned by Carnegie Hall), an evening-length electronic work for the Whitney Biennial, and an opera with electronics for the Staatsoper Stuttgart. He received a Grammy certificate in 2008 for his work on eighth blackbird’s strange imaginary animals.

He has also taught courses in electronic music composition and sound design for Berklee Online, and frequently appears as a guest lecturer and panelist at events focused on music, technology, and education.

 DeSantis received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition from the Eastman School of Music, as well as degrees from Yale and Western Michigan University. His composition teachers included Christopher Rouse, Evan Ziporyn, and Martin Bresnick. He studied percussion with John Beck and Judy Moonert, and jazz drumming with Billy Hart.