Nicolas CASTRO GRANADOS

Nicolás Castro Granados – Saxophonist

Nicolás Castro began studying the saxophone at the age of 4 under the guidance of his father, conductor and saxophonist Rogelio Castro. He later continued his professional training with Cesar Villamil, professor at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá. Since 2019, he has been an ambassador for Barkelys Brazil.

From an early age, he stood out for his virtuosity and versatility, exploring the many possibilities of saxophone interpretation, both in the classical and popular repertoire.

Awards and Competitions

 
➤ Best Saxophonist – La Vega National Band Competition

 
➤ Winner – National Bambuco Inédito Competition (Tocancipá, 2015, 2018)

 
➤ 3rd Place – Latin-American Saxophone Competition (Autonomous University of Mexico) & Best Latin-American Work Interpretation Award (2015)

 
➤ 1st Place – National Clarinet and Saxophone Competition “Clarisax” (Medellín, 2016)

 
➤ 2nd Place – Manizales Saxophone Week (2016)

 
➤ 2nd Place – International Saxophone Competition of Cali & Best Latin-American Work Interpretation Award (2017)
➤ 1st Place – Pereira Sax Sun Fest Competition (2017)

 
➤ Best Saxophonist – Tibacuy National Band Competition (2018)

 
➤ 1st Place – Juan Colón Merengue Competition (2018)

 
➤ Winner – Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Soloists Competition (2018)

 
➤ 1st Place – “Camareando” Chamber Music Competition (2019) with the NPVG Ensemble

 
➤ Winner – “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 also performed with the Orquesta de Armonía Salesiana del Niño Jesús, which achieved the highest score at the World Music Contest (WMC) in Kerkrade, Netherlands (2017), and 2nd Place at the Certamen Internacional de Bandas de Valencia (Spain).

He has played 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 founded and collaborated with several chamber music ensembles:
➤ NPVG Ensemble (Colombia)
➤ Le Balcon (Chamber Orchestra, France)
➤ Macondo Ensemble (Colombia) – selected to perform at the XVII World Saxophone Congress in Zagreb, Croatia

He has also performed as a soloist with prestigious orchestras such as:

 
➤ Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Orchestra (Colombia)

 
➤ Unió Musical de Torrent Symphony Orchestra (Spain)

 
➤ Salesiana del Niño Jesús Symphony Orchestra

His concert tours have taken him to Colombia, Mexico, Venezuela, Spain, Croatia, 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, Antonio García Jorge, among others.

He is currently pursuing his advanced saxophone studies at the Conservatorio Superior de Castilla y León (Spain) under Pablo Sánchez-Escariche. At the same time, he is developing his chamber music ensemble “Varua Dúo” with the talented pianist Catalina Jara, under the mentorship of pianist Alberto Rosado.