Lorena Cantó is a Spanish and Belgian violist and graphic designer based in London. Since 2021 she has been taking a two-year Master’s programme at the Open College of Arts. Tutored by Barry Hurd and Emma Powell, she found her niche in raising issues within the classical music industry. A recurring theme in her work.
Brought up in a musical environment, Lorena started playing the viola at the age of five. At the age of 16 she moved to the UK to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School where she met artist-in-residence Patsy Belmonte and started developing her skills in drawing and painting. As a result of her artistic commitment to the school, in 2016 she was awarded the Brackenbury Art Prize.
Upon graduation, Lorena moved to London where she began her Bachelor studies in viola performance at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. This represented a new stage in her career, with the discovery of Barbican’s brutalist landscape and the art of graphic design. Fascinated by the similarities between sound and image, she started researching and experimenting with the topic of visual storytelling and translation.
Today, Lorena combines her life as an active performer with her path as a graphic designer. Lorena’s work is characterised by its boldness and minimalism, inspired by the expressionist work of William Kentridge and the objectivity of Alexander Steinweiss.