Paul De Castro is a distinguished musician, educator, and composer based in Los Angeles, California. He is Professor Emeritus of Music at California State University, Los Angeles, where he taught since 1999. At Cal State LA, Dr. De Castro directed the Master’s degree program in Afro Latin Music, which he established in 2001. 

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His musical journey began in Lima, Peru, where he started piano studies and vocal performance at the age of five. He later pursued pre-college studies at the Conservatorio Nacional de Música. At 20, he immigrated to the United States to continue his education, earning a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Music from California State University, Los Angeles. He completed his Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) in Music Composition at the University of Texas at Austin.

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Paul De Castro's areas of expertise encompass Latin Jazz, Cuban music, Suona performance (in both Cuban and Chinese styles), jazz, and world music. He has lectured and performed internationally in countries such as Australia, Canada, Taiwan, China, Malaysia, Spain, Romania, Hungary, and Cuba.

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In addition to his academic roles, Dr. De Castro has collaborated with renowned musicians like Luis “Papo” Márquez and Team V.I.P., Chinese singer Jike Junyi, and The New Zealand Jazz Orchestra. He currently leads the Saoco Latin Big Band, based in Los Angeles.

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For more information visit https://www.saocolatinbigband.com/