B i o g r a p h y
Sofia Castillo is a highly accomplished flautist based in London, renowned for her exceptional talents in orchestral performance, chamber music, and solo recitals. Recent engagements include serving as Co-Principal with the National Symphony Orchestra and Principal Piccolo with the Philharmonia Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra. She is a regular performer with esteemed ensembles such as the City of London Sinfonia, the English Touring Opera, and the London Contemporary Orchestra. In September 2022, she secured a position with Southbank Sinfonia for the 2022–23 season, participating in various programmes with the Royal Opera House Orchestra, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
In addition to her orchestral work, Sofia is an accomplished soloist and chamber musician. Her performances have taken her to the USA, South America, the Middle East, and many European countries. She has played at major UK venues including the Barbican Centre, Cadogan Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the National Portrait Gallery, Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, Liverpool’s Symphony Hall, and the Hall for Cornwall in Truro. Among her diverse achievements, she recorded Ravel's Chansons Madécasses for Champs Hill Records, released in November 2021, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade as principal piccolo with the NSO for Chasing the Dragon Records, released in October 2023.
Sofia graduated from the Royal College of Music, London, with a Master of Performance degree. She was a Doctor Knobel Fund Scholar and studied under Sue Thomas, Celia Chambers, and Stuart McIlwham. Her awards include first prize at the 28th Gianluca Campochiaro International Chamber Music Competition in 2020 (with pianist Marie Otaka), first prize in the RCM Solo Flute Competition in 2017, and the Edward and Helen Hague Senior Woodwind Prize in 2017.
Alongside her recital and orchestral career, Sofia has been invited as a guest solo artist to perform on some of the world’s most luxurious cruise liners, touring globally with her shows Music of the World and Pasión Latina.
She has premiered and recorded works by several contemporary composers and contributed to recordings for short films, video games, and documentaries, including the BBC’s Horizon programme, the audio software company Auddict, and the musical production Rainfall.
