Born in Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, Ricardo Castro is a pianist, conductor, educator, and cultural leader, with a life dedicated to the transformative power of music. For nearly five decades, his artistic journey has spanned the world’s great concert halls,classrooms, and social initiatives-from solo performances with renowned orchestras to visionary projects that shape new generations.

He quickly gained international recognition, winning first prizes in competitions such as the Rahn Competition (1985), the Pembaur Prize (1986), the ARD Competition in Munich (1987), and the Géza Anda Competition in Zurich (1988). In 1993, he won the Leeds International Piano Competition, becoming the first and only South American to receive this honor. The victory led to performances with orchestras such as the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig, the Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich, and the BBC Philharmonic, as well as collaborations with figures like Sir Simon Rattle, Martha Argerich, and Maria João Pires.

His work extends far beyond the stage into conducting, education, and cultural entrepreneurship.

In 2007, he founded NEOJIBA (State Youth and Children’s Orchestras of Bahia), a pioneering social program offering free orchestraland choral training to thousands of children and young people throughout Bahia. Through this initiative,he has become an international reference in social transformation through music.

Alongside his artistic and social commitments, he maintains a strong dedication to education. He has taught piano in Switzerland since 1992, first at HEMU, and since 2020 at the Haute École de Musique de Genève (HEM), where he is currently Head of the Keyboard Department.

Ricardo Castro is the only Brazilian Honorary Member of the Royal Philharmonic Society, the same institution that commissioned Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and counts Brahms, Stravinsky, and Liszt among its historic members.