Karen Alava | Staff Writer
The night before the “All Beethoven with Kemal Gekic Concert,” the FIU Symphony Orchestra packed into the Wertheim Performing Arts Center for a three-hour rehearsal. The rehearsal hadn’t even officially started, but music was already filling the hall; strings running through quick passages and musicians tuning their instruments.
Wertheim Performing Arts Center at FIU | Karen Alava, PantherNOW
Among them was the bass section, where Francisco Castillo, a senior from Venezuela, is. Pursuing his second bachelor’s degree in music business and production. Castillo’s path to FIU has been anything but linear. “I’ve been making music since I was a kid,” he said. “I played the Venezuelan cuatro, then in high school I started playing drums. I was even a guitar teacher before entering the Conservatory of Music in my city.”
At the conservatory, Castillo immersed himself in theory, harmony, counterpoint and fugue, while performing with local orchestras and jazz groups. He also earned a degree in education; a parallel career encouraged by his family. “In Venezuela, since there are no music universities, they told me I had to do a parallel career,” he explained.
Francisco, when he was a kid | Karen Alava, PantherNOW
“They have always supported me, especially now that I’m here.” His journey took him from Venezuela to Texas, back home, and finally to Miami, where a scholarship brought him to FIU’s Symphony Orchestra.
Along the way, he discovered a passion for jazz and music production. “Being here, I managed to show interest in the jazz department and started taking jazz performance, jazz bass and jazz piano,” Castillo said. “At the same time, I signed up for production classes; recording, mixing, composing for commercials and film scoring. FIU has helped me a lot in my training. I’ve done a little bit of everything.”
His versatility has also led him to unexpected stages. In Fall 2024, the FIU Symphony Orchestra teamed up with reggaetón star Yandel for the release of his album Elite. The event went viral, sparking a symphonic album and live shows in Miami and Orlando. “It was beautiful to be part of that fusion of genres,” Castillo said. “An unforgettable experience.”
Yandel’s post via Instagram | Karen Alava, PantherNOW
The “All Beethoven Concert” at FIU Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts on September 26 will be the opening concert of FIU’s calendar. “I feel excited,” he said. “The rehearsals have been quite intense, quite challenging because they are pieces that require certain technical skills, especially very fast passages. But we hope it will be a good concert.”
If the rehearsal was already impressive, the concert itself was on another level. The orchestra delivered a performance that felt both polished and electric.
All Beethoven Concert at FIU Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts | Karen Alava, PantherNOW
Looking ahead, Castillo is eager for the orchestra’s future performances, including “Ruben Blades Maestra Vida” in November.
As for his own future, Castillo hopes to pursue a master’s degree in film scoring. “I really enjoy writing music, composing elements that have to do with the visual part,” he said. “Probably film, maybe video games too. There’s a lot of fields you can explore when you specialize in music.”
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