Degrees:
D.M.A., Northwestern University; J.D., Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law; M.S.M., Boston University; B.M.E., Texas Christian University
Biography:
Mexican-American conductor and organist Dr. David Castillo serves as Director of Choral Activities at Mount St. Joseph University, where he oversees the university choral ensembles.
In Cincinnati, he is the Artistic and Executive Director of Ensemble con Fuoco, a professional vocal ensemble dedicated to chamber choral music that spans all periods and styles “with fire and purpose.” Under his leadership, the ensemble has presented performances of Brahms’s, Duruflé’s, and Fauré’s Requiems; Handel’s Dixit Dominus; and MacMillan’s Cantos Sagrados, along with programs highlighting both early and contemporary choral repertoire. Recent and upcoming projects include Into Light and From Darkness to Light, and multiple concerts that pair sacred masterworks with new works. Frank La Rocca’s (Requiem for the Forgotten), Caroline Shaw (To the Hands), and David Lang (The Little Match Girl Passion).
He also serves as Director of Liturgical Music for the Family of the Most Holy Eucharist, overseeing music across five parishes on Cincinnati’s West Side. In that role, he coordinates choirs, instrumentalists, and professional ensembles for major feast days and liturgical celebrations and curates the Siena Music Series, which brings sacred and choral music to the wider community.
Dr. Castillo has held music director and organist positions in Illinois, Massachusetts, and Texas and has performed extensively throughout the United States and Mexico as an organist and collaborative pianist.
He earned the Doctor of Musical Arts in Choral Conducting from Northwestern University, where he studied with Robert Harris and Donald Nally and completed a dissertation on The Role of Liberation Theology in the Choral and Organ Works of James MacMillan. He also holds a Master of Sacred Music from Boston University and a Bachelor of Music Education, magna cum laude, from Texas Christian University.
In addition to his musical career, Dr. Castillo holds a Juris Doctor (law degree) from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, and his work has focused on retail, technology, and AI governance law. His legal expertise informs his leadership in arts administration and institutional governance.
Deeply engaged in Cincinnati’s civic and cultural life, he serves on the Boards of the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra and Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, has served as a grant reviewer for ArtsWave, and previously sat on the Advisory Council of the Cincinnati Boychoir.