About
Described by international artists as “surprisingly expressive and virtuoso”, “with complete control of every note” and “one of the most complete percussionists” coming up in the international music scene, Vítor Castro has been delighting and inspiring audiences all around Europe.
He started his musical studies in Guimarães Academy and he then went to Porto where he finished his Bachelor Degree in the class of professors Miquel Bernat and Nuno Aroso.
In 2015 he travelled to the Netherlands where he completes later, with maximum score, his Master Degree in Performance with Specialization in New Music at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, with teachers Nick Woud, Nancy Zeltsman, Peter Prommel, Rachel Zhang and Arnold Marinissen.
For his studies abroad he was one of few percussionist ever to get the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Scholarship.
Vitor Castro has multiple prizes on both national and international competitions:
Estoril International Competition - 2nd Prize; Marimba Festiva International Competition - 2nd Prize and Special Prize; Iberian Percussion Competition “Tum-pa-tum-pa”- 2nd Prize; Paços Premium Competition - 1st Prize; Vila-Verde International Chamber Music Competition - 1st Prize.
Vítor is an Academist of two of the most significant contemporary academies in Europe, the Lucerne Festival Academy and the Grafenegg Academy.
During his studies he was selected to multiple orchestras and ensembles like the Freiburg Ensemble Akademie, World Percussion Group, Gulbenkian Orchestra Academy and Portuguese Youth Orchestra.
He is a frequent guest player in Gulbenkian Orchestra and XXI Orchestra, in Drumming Percussion Group. He also holds the position of timpanist at the Guimarães Orchestra.
At the moment Vítor is pursuing a versatile musical career both as a solo and ensemble player playing in countries like Portugal, Spain, Germany, Austria, Netherlands and Switzerland.
He is also the Artistic Director and Founder of the GUICollective ensemble.