Giancarlo Castro D'Addona (born August 8, 1980) is a Venezuelan – Italian composer, conductor and trumpet player. Gold medal winner at the Global Music Awards in San Diego – California (US).

Music career

Castro D'Addona began his music studies aged 8 at the Vicente Emilio Sojo Conservatory in

Barquisimeto Barquisimeto (; ) is a city in Venezuela. Barquisimeto is located in the Central-Western Region, Venezuela. It is the capital of the state of Lara (state), Lara and head of Iribarren Municipality. It is an important urban, industrial, commercial a ...

. In his career, he has been a member of the most significant groups of

El Sistema El Sistema (which translates to The System) is a publicly financed, voluntary sector, music-education program, founded in Venezuela in 1975 by Venezuelan educator, musician, and activist José Antonio Abreu.Lesniak It later adopted the motto " ...

founded by

José Antonio Abreu José Antonio Abreu Anselmi (May 7, 1939 – March 24, 2018) was a Venezuelan orchestra conductor, pianist, economist, educator, activist, and politician best known for his association with El Sistema. He was honored with the 2009 Latin Gramm ...

, such as the

Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

, the Simón Bolívar Brass Quintet and the Simón Bolívar Brass Ensemble, with which he has undertaken numerous concert tours in America,

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, and obtaining diverse recognitions, including awards, sponsorships, representation by international artistic agencies like Askonas Holt (England), Kajimoto (Japan), Sony Music Foundation (

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

), and taking part in recordings for the

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

EMI Classics EMI Classics was a record label founded by Thorn EMI in 1990 to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogues for internationally distributed classical music releases. After Thorn EMI demerged in 1996, its recorded mus ...

and EUROARTS labels. As a conductor, he has performed with a variety of orchestras and chamber groups such as the Lara Symphony Orchestra (

), the Simón Bolívar Big Band Jazz (

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

), the Barquisimeto Youth Orchestra, the Chacao Youth Orchestra (Caracas), the

Manizales Manizales () is a city in central Colombia. It is the capital of the Caldas Department, Department of Caldas, and lies near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano. Currently, the city is the main center for the production of Colombian coffee and an importa ...

Walking Jazz Band (Colombia), and the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra.

Composer career

In 2004, Castro began his composition studies with the Colombian teacher Blas Emilio Atehortúa. Influenced by Latin American music, jazz and film scores, he wrote his first works in that year, which saw the completion of "Grand Fanfare", which was recorded on the album ''We Got Rhythm'' on the

label, and the albums ''Gran Fanfare'' and ''Mambo! Live From Caracas'', both of which appeared on the EUROARTS label. In 2012, his work was recorded by the Simón Bolívar Youth Band of Venezuela on the GENUIN Classics label (

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

). In that same year, together with the works "Arrival of a Noble Maestro" and "Walking Faster", it was performed by the Venezuelan Brass Ensemble at the Bergen International Festival (Norway) and Carnegie Hall in New York. In 2007, Castro composed the soundtrack for the Web drama series "Maleficio", the first of its kind in Venezuela, which was created by the Caicedo brothers for Taurus Productions. In 2010, saw the premiere in Finland of his concerto for violin and string orchestra titled "Concierto Sureño", which was commissioned by Laurentius Dinca, a violinist of the

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

. In 2013, he composed "Rhapsody for Talents", a work commissioned by the French instrument maker

Buffet Crampon Buffet Crampon SAS is a French manufacturer of wind instruments based in Mantes-la-Ville, in the Yvelines department. The company is the world market leader in the production of Boehm system clarinets. Its subsidiary, Buffet Crampon Deuts ...

to commemorate the manufacturer's history constructing, making and selling wind instruments. Its world premiere was performed by the Simón Bolívar Youth Symphonic Band of Venezuela, conducted by Sergio Rosales in the

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

(

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

) on 7 July 2013. In 2015, Castro composed the soundtrack of the Venezuelan film "Redención". In November of that year he was invited by the Buffet Group to conduct his work "Rhapsody for Talents" with the Paris Symphonic Orchestra at the Radio France Theatre (

) to celebrate the 190th anniversary of the company. This made Castro the first Venezuelan composer to conduct his own work in an internationally famous venue. In 2016, his concerto for clarinet was performed in

Melk Abbey Melk Abbey () is a Benedictine abbey above the town of Melk, Lower Austria, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube river, adjoining the Wachau valley. The abbey contains the tomb of Saint Coloman of Stockerau and the remains of several member ...

in Austria as part of the

Salzburg Festival The Salzburg Festival () is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer, for five weeks starting in late July, in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart's operas are a focus of ...

. On December of this same year, he became a gold medal winner for his work "Rhapsody for Talents" in the category Original Score and Composition / Composer at the Global Music Awards in San Diego, California. In 2017 he moved to the United States to develop his musical career, this year his piece "Grand Fanfare" was performed by The President's Own

United States Marine Band The United States Marine Band is the premier band of the United States Marine Corps. Established by act of Congress on July 11, 1798, it is the oldest of the United States military bands and the oldest professional musical organization in the ...

in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., conducted by Colonel Jason K. Fettig, his Concerto for Tuba was performed by

Carol Jantsch Carolyn Mae "Carol" Jantsch (born on March 8, 1985) is an American tuba player. She is the daughter of a medical doctor and a Kenyon College vocal-music teacher, Nancy Jantsch. She began to study piano at age 6, and the euphonium at age 9. She ...

, principal tuba of the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscription concerts, n ...

at the Berkshire Summer Music Summer Festival and

Interlochen Center for the Arts Interlochen Center for the Arts ( '; also known as I.C.A. or Inty) is a Nonprofit organization, non-profit corporation which operates Visual arts education, arts education institutions and Music venue, performance venues. Established in 1928 b ...

, Castro was invited as a guest composer and conductor by the

University of Minnesota Duluth The University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) is a public university in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the University of Minnesota System. UMD offers 17 bachelor's degrees in 87 majors, graduate programs in 24 different fields, a tw ...

Department to offer lectures of his works and conduct the Senior High School Honor Band Festival and the Twin Ports Wind Orchestra in the Weber Music Hall. In December he traveled to France to participate as guest conductor of the Orchestra Valentiana with a repertoire that included his concerto for violin and string orchestra "Concierto Sureño" performed by Marie-Francoise Pallot, currently professor of violin at the Boulogne-Billancourt Conservatory; also in this same opportunity Castro conducted the world premiere of his concerto for saxophone and orchestra in the Saint-Nicolas Auditorium of

Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...

performed by

Artist Michel Supera. In 2018 his work ''Melk Abbey'' was included in the new recording production of the Ensemble 7/4 of Venezuela in his album Festfanfaren recorded in

in Austria. Also his work "Walking Faster" was recorded by the European Brass Ensemble in the production Diversity under GENUIN Classics Label conducted by Thomas Clamor, this same year the Banda Municipal de València performed his work "Rhapsody for Talents" in the

Palau de la Música de València The Palau de la Música de València is a concert, cinema, arts, and exhibition hall in València, Valencia situated on the Turia (river), Túria river. The Palau de la Música de Valencia was designed by the architect José María García de P ...

in Spain at the closing ceremony of the International Music Band Contest "Ciutat de València" 2018. In February 2019 his work "Euphantasy" for Euphonium and Band was released and recorded by the French soloist Bastien Baumet and the Portugal Air force Band in the production "Radiance". In May 2019, his "Sonatina" for Tuba was premiered by Carol Jantsch in the International Tuba and Euphonium Association 2019, and his concert for violin and string orchestra "Concierto Sureño" was premiered in Portland by Venezuelan violinist Inés Voglar Belgique and the string ensemble of

Portland Youth Philharmonic The Portland Youth Philharmonic (PYP) is the oldest youth orchestra in the United States, established in 1924 as the Portland Junior Symphony (PJS). Now based in Portland, Oregon, the orchestra's origin dates back to 1910, when music teacher Mary ...

conducted by David Hattner. In September 2019 Giancarlo became the conductor of the

Reed College Reed College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland, Portland, Oregon, E ...

orchestra being the first Latin American conductor to obtain this position. Currently his works continue to be performed all over the world by groups such as l’Orchestre Symphonique d’Orléans in France, the Peter Mayr Pfeffersberg Band in Austria, the Faculty of Brass and Percussion Ensemble of

in Michigan, Le Grand Ensemble de Cuivres et Percussions du Conservatoire in France, the Royal Academy of Music Symphonic Brass in London, Giovanile Sinfonica Band Trentino in Italy, Boston Conservatory Brass Ensemble, among others. Giancarlo Castro D'Addona's publisher is ''Editions BIM'' (Switzerland). ''SUISA,'' an association representing authors based in

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, safeguards his creators rights. Castro is also an artist for STOMVI, a manufacturer of brass instruments.

Compositions

Works for Piano

* 5 Preludes for piano Op. 1–5

Works for Violin Solo

* "Estudio contemporáneo a la Danza" Op. 23

Works for Strings Ensemble

* ''Concierto Sureño'', for violin solo & strings ensemble. Op. 21

Chamber music

* Trumpet Quartet Op. 6 * ''Stories of a Legend'' for brass quintet Op. 8 * "Ida y vuelta en Fa" for trombone quartet Op. 10 * Besos Clandestinos, for oboe, piano, bass & drum set. Op. 13 * Swing Sonata, for trumpet, piano, bass & drum set. Op. 15 * Swing Sonata, for trombone, piano, bass & drum set. Op. 15a * Trumpetbone, for trumpet, bass trombone, piano, bass & drum set. Op. 16 * "Cardenal Pintao", for clarinet, piano, bass & drum set. (optional

cuatro Cuatro, Spanish (and other Romance languages) for the 4, number 4, may refer to: * Cuatro (instrument), a family of Latin American string instruments, including: ** Cuatro (Venezuela) ** Puerto Rican cuatro * Cuatro (TV channel), a Spanish free-to ...

maraca A maraca ( , , ), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas, also known as tamaracas, were rattles of d ...

s). Op. 17 * "Tuna y Cuji", for violin, piano, bass & drum set. Op. 18 * "Mi lugar", for vibraphone, guitar & bass. Op. 20 * "Q’Situacion", for trombone ensemble. Op. 22

Music for Brass Ensemble

* Grand Fanfare Op. 7 * ''Arrival of a Noble Maestro'' Op. 11 * Tuba Concert Op. 12 * Walking Faster Op. 19 * "Grande Maurice" Fanfare, for 24 trumpets & percussion. Op. 24

Works for Brass Band

* Grand Fanfare Op. 7c

Works for Symphonic Band

* Grand Fanfare Op. 7a * Rhapsody for Talents Op. 26

Works for Wind Band

* Grand Fanfare Op. 7a * Rhapsody for Talents Op. 26 * Euphantasy * Journey

Works for Big Band

* Clarinet and Big Band concerto Op. 9

Works for Orchestra

* Grand Fanfare Op. 7b * Chacao Police Academy Anthem Op. 14 * ''Stunning Trumpet'' Trumpet Concert Op. 25, * Rhapsody for Talents Op. 26a * Clarinet and Big Band concerto Op. 9a

Soundtracks

* ''Maleficio'', Web Serie. (2008) * ''Redención'', Venezuelan Film. (2015)