Miguel Castro

Originally from Venezuela, Miguel Castro is a multi-faceted pianist, who began his musical studies at the age of ten at the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras of Venezuela in Puerto Ordaz. He began his piano studies with Professor Armando Navas Luque. At 12 years old, he performed his first public piano recital. He has performed recitals in Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, and the United States.

As a soloist, he has performed with the Symphonic Orchestra of Paraguaná, the Symphonic Orchestra of Barinas, the Symphonic Orchestra of Falcón, the Civic Orchestra of Baton Rouge, and the Youth Symphonic Orchestra Inocente Carreño. He has participated in several competitions and festivals including: IV Federico Chopin Competition (Lima, Peru), José Jacinto Cuevas 2018 (Merida, Mexico), 1st Prize in the “III Rosario Marciano National Competition” (Venezuela), and XIV Santa Catarina International Festival (Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil). Additionally, he is the recipient of several awards including the Student Merit Award granted by the Central University of Venezuela in the Artistic-Cultural Mention. He has attended masterclasses taught by Héctor Villasana, Claudio Carbó Montaner, Guíomar Narváez, Guadalupe Parrondo, Doménico Lombardi, Maura Pansini, Franco Medori, Alexandre Dossin, Vivian Weilerstein and Michael Gurt.

As a collaborative pianist, Miguel has had the privilege to work with Professor Lotty Ipinza’s Fedora Alemán Voice Studio and the Youth Symphonic Band Simón Bolívar. He was the collaborative pianist in the Orchestral Conducting Studio of Maestro Alfredo Rugeles at Simón Bolívar University. A dedicated educator, he has taught in the "Manuel Alberto Lopez" School of Music (Venezuela), “Juan Manuel Olivares” National Conservatory of Music (Venezuela) and in the Extension Courses at the National Conservatory of Music of Peru.

His primary formative teachers include: Professors Leopoldo Igarza, José Luis Presa, María Luisa Padrón and Gerardo Gerulewicz; and his piano mentors have been Gioconda Vásquez, David Ascanio and Igor Lavrov, Emely Phelps and Svetozar Ivanov. Miguel graduated from “José Ángel Lamas” Superior School of Music, achieving with honors the title of Piano Performer. He studied his first Master in Music, with an emphasis in Piano Performance, at Simón Bolívar University under the tutelage of Russian pianist Igor Lavrov. He obtained a Certificate in Orchestral Conducting by the Faculty of Humanities and Education at the Central University of Venezuela in 2015, under the tutelage of Master Miguel Ángel Monroy and Juan Francisco Sans. He got his Master in Piano Performance and Pedagogy at Ohio University under the tutelage of Dr. Emely Phelps and Dr. Christopher Fisher. Miguel has been awarded Graduate Assistantships at Ohio University and the University of South Florida.

He is currently a graduate Student at the University of South Florida in the piano studio of Dr. Svetozar Ivanov.

Coming Soon!