François Castello

François was born in Paris in 1965 and discovered music threw both his father's records: Beethoven's piano sonatas, symphonies and concertos, Schubert's leaders, quartets and trios, Mozart, Schumann, Brahms, Ravel, Debussy... and his brother's and sister's ones: "The Beatles", "The Rolling Stones", "AC/DC", "The Doors"... He wanted to become a composer: what a strange idea in a doctor's family! He asked his mother for years to be taught piano: finally she said yes when she heard him playing his first composition on a friend's piano! At that time he was twelve... So he started learning piano, music theory, then violin, viola, harmony, counterpoint, orchestra conducting... Only 8 years after his first music lesson he was admitted at the Paris National Conservatory of Music where is was the recipient of several first awards in harmony, fugue and orchestration. Then he studied film scoring, jazz arranging and piano at the Berklee College of Music (Boston).

In the early 90s, François taught harmony, fugue and orchestration in Paris conservatory. He also performed many classical pieces as a conductor, such as the Verdi Requiem in 1993. This same year he met famous theater director Alfredo Arias and scored the music for his Folies Bergères show: "Fou des Folies" (Crazy about Folies). The show was a big success and nominated at the "Molière" awards for the best musical show! Well, that's what we call an eclectic musician: what a gap between Verdi's Requiem and Folies Bergères! Quite unexpectedly, in 1995 he met the Publicity company chief officer in charge of the Nestlé Company. François had a brilliant idea and created the first worldwide corporate and strategic brand musical identity for the Nestlé company. Soon he became one of the most in-demand musicians in commercial musics. He produced hundreds of them but his aim was to compose for films.

Then he had a chance in 2002 to work with Stanley Clarke on "The transporter" score. He orchestrated some of Stanley's music and conducted it. Soon after film director Stéphane Clavier offered him the score of his first feature film "Lovely Rita". Unfortunately the film was not a big success. Despite this François' musical career path made a dramatic turn and he was offered Stéphane Clavier's new film 3 guys, 1 girl, 2 weddings. From then he composed many successful and award-winning French TV films and series. He also arranged many songs for popular best-selling French artists. In 2005, famous musical show producer Dove Attia offered him "Le roi soleil" (King sun), his new musical show. The show was a huge success: 1,700,000 seats, 600,000 DVDs and 900,000 CDs sold... one of the all time French success in musicals! Then, François has been working on "Mozart, the rock Opera", directed by Olivier Dahan (director of "La môme"). This is the new musical show produced by Dove Attia & Albert Cohen. His work on the show is both arranging and adapting some of the Mozart's best pieces, and composing instrumental music for ballets and comedy, as the becoming famous "La Mascarade".