LuisCastillo-Briceño

Luis Castillo-Briceño is a Grand Prix winner of the Rotterdam International Conducting Competition 2025, where he also received the Classical, Proms and Symphonic prizes.

As guest conductor, Luis has appeared with orchestras such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Luxembourg Philharmonic and St. Gallen Symphony Orchestra.

Recent highlights also include the Munich Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Bern Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica and Sichuan Philharmonic.

In 2026/27, Luis makes debuts with the Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Juilliard Orchestra, Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra, Busan Philharmonic Orchestra, Nuremberg Symphony and Kyiv Chamber Orchestra.

Named by BBC Music Magazine as a "Rising Star", Luis has assisted several eminent conductors such as Daniel Harding, Gustavo Dudamel, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Edward Gardner, Karina Canellakis and Robin Ticciati. His former positions include conducting fellowships at the Verbier Festival in 2025, the Los Angeles Philharmonic as a Dudamel Fellow in 2024/25 and the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2023/24. From 2021 to 2025, Luis was an Equilibrium Young Artist mentored by Barbara Hannigan.

Born in Costa Rica, Luis began studying the violin at the age of five at the Instituto Nacional de la Música. He took up the flute at eleven and became principal flautist of the Orquesta Sinfónica Infantil de Costa Rica. He later completed a bachelor’s degree in piano at the Zurich University of the Arts, studied orchestral conducting and opera coaching at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, and holds a specialised master’s degree in orchestral conducting from the Zurich University of the Arts. He speaks fluent English, Spanish, French and German.