Luis Castelló Rizo

Luis Castelló Rizo is from Agost, Alicante. He began his musical studies alongside his two brothers at C.A.C. Verge de la Pau before continuing at Alicante’s Óscar Esplá Higher Conservatory of Music. His teachers and master-class mentors have included Francisco Florido, Francisco Amat, Enrique Pérez, José Luis Estellés, Justo Sanz, Máximo Muñoz, Emilio Ferrando, Guy Deplus, Anthony Gigliotti, Hedwig Swimberghe, Eric Hoeprich, Radovan Cavallin, and Sylvie Hue. He has participated in festivals in Alicante, Ávila, Baeza, Badajoz, Castellón, Cartagena, Guadix, Granada, Jaén, Madrid, Santiago de Compostela, Soria, Úbeda, Valencia, Jonzac, Bruges, Dortmund, Beijing, and Shanghai. His clarinet competition appearances include Toulon, Cartagena—where he won first prize—and Bruges, where he received the Clarinetissimo Festival’s annual award. Luis has performed with the Granada Philharmonic, Alhambra City Orchestra, Jonzac Youth Orchestra, Andalusian Youth Orchestra, Ad Libitum Symphony Orchestra, Brazilian Classical Camerata, Enarmonía, and the municipal bands of Alicante, Badajoz, Granada, Guadix, Castellón, Jaén, Madrid, Melilla, and Santiago. As a conductor, he has led the wind bands of Agost, Arjona, Cúllar Vega, Las Gabias, Ogíjares, and Villena, as well as the Granada Municipal Band, Granada Youth Orchestra, University of Delaware Band, and Enarmonía Orchestra of Granada. In 2012, he won first prize in Granada’s wind band competition while conducting the Ogíjares Symphonic Band. He has composed music for Holy Week, pasodobles, and marches for Moors and Christians festivities, and has recorded several CDs featuring his compositions and music for clarinet. He holds advanced degrees in clarinet and chamber music and an intermediate degree in double bass. He is a founding board member of AmProBand, the Association of Professional Wind Band Musicians. His professional roles include serving as a tenured professor and solo clarinet with the Granada Municipal Band, work with the Guadix City Symphonic Band, and principal clarinet with the Granada Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2023, he performed solo concerts with several orchestras and as a solo clarinetist. In 2024, he opened the National Congress of Clarinetists in Córdoba, Spain. He is a Royal Global USA artist.

Luis’s Royal Global experience includes the Firebird Soprano, Polaris Soprano, Genesis Soprano, MAX Soprano, Classical Limited Soprano, MAX Low E-flat Bass, MAX Low C Bass, Polaris Low C Bass, and Firebird Low C Bass. His more recent setup centers on the Firebird Soprano with a Polaris copper-ring barrel (64–68) and Vandoren BD5 mouthpiece; he has also used Polaris Gold and Polaris Rose Gold barrels and a Vandoren BD5 HD mouthpiece. He chose Royal after having the opportunity to try the instruments and finding them compelling. He values their beautiful sound, ergonomics, and the way they suit his playing. He finds the Firebird especially easy to play. Royal has helped him explore new possibilities with the clarinet, share meaningful moments with colleagues, and perform at conferences, conservatories, and master classes.