Ricardo Castro was first played on NTS on 16 September 2022. Songs played include Danzón No. 4.

Born in Bahia (Brazil) in 1964, Ricardo Castro started to play piano at the age of three and began his musical studies with Esther Cardoso, a dedicated exponent of the French pianoschool, at the age of five. In 1975 Castro won, when he was only eleven, at the Pro Arte National Competition in Brazil, suggesting the musical talent he should later confirm. In 1984 he joined the class of Maria Tipo at the Geneva Conservatoire. Consequently he won a number of prizes including the Patek Philippe Award, the Rahn Competition and the Pembaur Competition. His career blossomed and in 1987 Castro won at the ARD Competition in Munich. The scholarship given by the City of Geneva and the Simon Patino Foundation allowed him to finish his studies with Dominique Merlet in Paris. This individually chosen class was finally gratified by the First Prize of the 1993 Harveys Leeds International Pianoforte Competition in England. Strongly attached to the European culture including literature and fine arts, Ricardo Castro is now based in Switzerland and currently invited to play with major orchestras and renowned conductors, as well as to give recitals all over the world.