Michele Castaldo

Michele Castaldo
Born in Bologna in 2005, Michele Castaldo studied at the “G.B. Martini” Conservatory in Bologna with Victoria Pontecorboli.

A student of Giorgio Farina, he is currently continuing his studies at the “A. Buzzolla” Conservatory in Adria.
He has refined his artistry by attending numerous masterclasses with distinguished pianists such as Alexander Romanovsky, Leonora Armellini, Michele Campanella, Giorgio Farina, Olaf Laneri, Tatiana Levitina, Federico Nicoletta, Andrzej Pikul, Alberto Nosè, André Gallo and Nikolay Lugansky.
Castaldo has received numerous accolades, winning prestigious prizes in both national and international competitions, including the “Villafranca International Piano Competition,” “Marco Bramanti,” “Festival 4 Arts Romania,”, “Città di Albenga”, “Andrea Baldi,” “Città di San Donà di Piave,” “Orbetello Piano Competition,” and the “Città di Cantù Piano & Orchestra International Competition.”
His concert activity has led him to perform in Italy and abroad, appearing at renowned music festivals and concert series such as three editions of the Livorno Music Festival, the Fundación Olivar de Castillejo Festival in Madrid, and concert series such as Sesto Giovani (Florence), Circolo Artistico (Venice), Camerata Musicale Salentina (Lecce), Amici della Musica (Modena), Giovani in Musica (Ravenna), Artisti cioè amici (Ferrara), Domenica in Musica (Ascoli Piceno), Circolo della Musica (Bologna), Classica Giovani (San Marino), Misano Piano Festival and Emilia Romagna Festival.
At the age of 12, he performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, K. 39 with the Orchestra of the Bologna Conservatory conducted by Vincenzo De Felice.
In 2021, at Teatro Manzoni in Bologna, during the inauguration of the Academic Year, he performed Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with the G.B. Martini Conservatory Orchestra conducted by Alberto Caprioli. He later reprised the same concerto in 2024 as part of the BeethovenFest series in the theaters of Benevento and Campobasso, with the Molise Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michele Campanella. In 2025, in Cantù, he performed Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with the State Philharmonic Orchestra of Romania conducted by Ovidiu Bălan.

“…a mature, almost Canovian pianism, so masterfully controlled in its technical means that he seems thirty years older, a profile of a born concert pianist… the latest among a generation of millennial pianists already recognized beyond Italy… a musician with a luminous and lucid mind, who has already achieved a depth of interpretation allowing him to face the most demanding composers.”
— La Repubblica

“…his undeniable artistic potential allows him to interpret any musical style with charisma, sensitivity, and passion, yet always within the boundaries of style and good taste. Michele Castaldo always has much to say in music and is deeply devoted to what he expresses; his great intelligence enables him to craft performances full of insight into the composers’ ideas and clear suggestions for the audience.”
— Academy of Music in Krakow