Jesús Augusto Castro Turriago is a Colombian flutist, educator, and researcher recognized as an “Investigador Asociado” by Minciencias under Call 894. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Flute Performance and a Master of Music from The University of Southern Mississippi, as well as an undergraduate degree in Music Education from the Conservatorio del Tolima. His career includes international performances in the United States, Peru, Ecuador, and Brazil.
Dr. Castro has earned major national distinctions, winning prestigious Colombian competitions such as the Festival Nacional del Pasillo in Aguadas–Caldas, the Festival Colono de Oro—where he received the Gran Colono de Oro in Florencia–Caquetá—and the Festival Nacional de Bambuco Anselmo Durán Plazas in Neiva–Huila. Internationally, his achievements include an Honorable Mention from the Louisiana Flute Society Master Class Competition in Baton Rouge, top prize at the MTNA Chamber Music Competition with the Seven AM Woodwind Quintet in Jackson, Mississippi, second place in the MTNA Young Artist State Division, and semifinalist recognition at the National Flute Association Young Artist Competition, where he represented Colombia. He was twice named Graduate Musician of the Year by The University of Southern Mississippi Symphony Orchestra and won both the USM William T. Gower Orchestra Soloist Competition and the USM Band Soloist Competition. He was also awarded the Ministry of Culture’s National Grant Program in 2015.
As director, arranger, and flutist of Dueto Camino Real, Dr. Castro has led the ensemble to significant national acclaim. The ensemble won first place at the Festival Nacional de Duetos Hermanos Martínez in Floridablanca–Santander, the Festival Nacional del Pasillo Colombiano in Aguadas–Caldas, the Festival Nacional del Bambuco Anselmo Durán Plazas in Neiva–Huila, and the Festival Nacional Apolinar Críales in Puerto Salgar–Cundinamarca. In 2024, the ensemble won first place as Príncipes de la Canción at the Festival Nacional de la Música Colombiana, one of the nation’s highest honors in traditional music. The ensemble was additionally a winner of the Ministry of Culture’s 2023 National Grant Call.
Dr. Castro is Director of the Research Group Música, Educación, Cultura y Sociedad and Director of the students research group Música y Performance at the Universidad de Pamplona, where he teaches Counterpoint II, Musical Forms I, and Principal Instrument: Flute I–X. He is the author of The Art of Singing and Playing on the Modern Flute, and co-author of Colombian Anthology for Flute and Piano: Danza, Intermezzo, Pasillo, and Bambuco, written with Bibiana Cáceres and José Lizcano, both published by the Editorial Seal of the Universidad de Pamplona. He also serves as a peer evaluator for Minciencias. Dr. Castro is currently full professor at the Universidad de Pamplona, and director of the International Flute Seminar organized by the same institution.