Esteban Castro Trio in the Theater

Esteban is a 20-year-old pianist and composer who captivates audiences and critics with performances that are sophisticated beyond his years. He attends the Juilliard School on a full-tuition Thomas Dubois Hormel Memorial Scholarship, studying with Ted Rosenthal. He also studies privately with Fred Hersch. He recently graduated as a double major from the MSM Precollege on a Nana’s Way Scholarship, studying classical piano with Phillip Kawin and jazz with Jeremy Manasia.

At age 13, Esteban was the First Prize Winner in the Montreux Jazz Piano Solo Competition in 2016, making him the youngest ever to receive this prestigious award. At 14, he was the youngest First Prize recipient at the 2017 Jacksonville Jazz Piano Competition. Most recently, he won the Grand Bohemian Prize at the 2022 American Jazz Pianist Competition, and was named a finalist in the upcoming 2023 American Pianist Association Competition.

With over 40 compositions to his name, Esteban has garnered three ASCAP Foundation YoungJazz Composer Awards, and has won fifteen Downbeat Student Music Awards. He was selected asa pianist for the Grammy Band in 2017 and 2018, the 2019 Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, and asa 2019 YoungArts Finalist. He has also won a variety of classical piano competitions, includingthe 2019 MSM Precollege Philharmonic Concerto Competition, playing Prokofiev’s 1st PianoConcerto.Esteban has played to sold-out audiences in venues such as The Blue Note, The Montreux JazzClub, The New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, Birdland, Smalls, and TheJazz Gallery. He's also performed in Switzerland, Italy, France, Peru, Canada, and Puerto Rico.Esteban routinely donates his time and performances to charitable causes such as the JazzAmbassadors, the American Cancer Society, Haiti Disaster Relief, Aid to Victims of HurricaneMaria, and to provide musical instruments for needs-based students.

Host or Publisher Birdland Jazz Club