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Nicolás Castro began studying the saxophone at the age of four under the direction of his father, conductor and saxophonist Rogelio Castro. He then continued his professional training with Cesar Villamil, a professor at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá. Since 2019, he has been a Barkelys Brazil ambassador.
From a very young age, he distinguished himself with his great virtuosity and versatility, exploring the many interpretive possibilities of the saxophone, both in classical and popular repertoire.
Awards and Competitions
➤ Best Saxophonist at the La Vega National Band Competition
➤ Winner of the National Bambuco Inédito Competition in Tocancipá (2015, 2018)
➤ 3rd place at the Latin American Saxophone Competition (Autonomous University of Mexico) and award for best performance of a Latin American work (2015)
➤ 1st place at the National Clarinet and Saxophone Competition "Clarisax" (Medellín, 2016)
➤ 2nd place at the "Manizales Saxophone Week" (2016)
➤ 2nd place at the Cali International Saxophone Competition and award for best performance of a Latin American work (2017)
➤ 1st place at the Pereira Sax Sun Fest Competition (2017)
➤ Best saxophonist at the Tibacuy National Band Competition (2018)
➤ 1st place at the Juan Colón Merengue Competition (2018)
➤ Winner of the Javeriana University Soloists Competition (2018)
➤ 1st place in the "Camareando" Chamber Music Competition (2019) with the NPVG ensemble
➤ Winner of the "Young Soloists" Competition of the Cali Philharmonic Orchestra (2020)
Chamber Music and Festivals
In 2016, he was invited by the Autonomous University of Mexico to participate in the Encuentro Universitario de Saxofón with his chamber music duo "Bogosax".
He plays with the Salesiana del Niño Jesús Harmony Orchestra, a group that achieved top marks in the 2017 World Music Contest (WMC) in Kerkrade, the Netherlands, as well as second place in the International Chamber Orchestra of Valencia, Spain.
He has performed under the direction of renowned conductors such as Maxime Pascal (France), Ricardo Jaramillo (Colombia), Frank de Vuyst (Belgium), and Rogelio Castro (Colombia).
Nicolás Castro has created and collaborated with several chamber music ensembles:
➤ NPVG Ensemble (Colombia)
➤ Le Balcon (chamber orchestra, France)
➤ Macondo Ensemble (Colombia) – selected to perform at the 17th World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb, Croatia
He also performs as a soloist with prestigious orchestras such as:
➤ The Javeriana University Orchestra (Colombia)
➤ Unió Musical de Torrent Symphony Orchestra (Spain)
➤ Salesiana del Niño Jesús Symphony Orchestra
His concert tours have taken him to numerous countries: Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Spain, Croatia, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Germany.
Masterclasses and Training
Nicolás has benefited from the teaching of renowned saxophonists: Claude Delangle, Alain Crepin, Preston Duncan, Mariano García, Ángel Soria, Alberto Chaves, Andrés Gomis, Alfonso Padilla, and Antonio García Jorge, among others.
He is currently pursuing his advanced studies in saxophone at the Conservatory of Castilla y León (Spain) under the direction of Professor Pablo Sánchez-Escariche. At the same time, he developed his chamber music ensemble "Varua Dúo" with the talented pianist Catalina Jara, under the tutelage of pianist Alberto Rosado.
