J. Ricardo Castañeda

J. Ricardo Castañeda is a Music Teaching Associate at the School of Theatre and Music, University of Illinois at Chicago. He holds degrees from Northwestern University and maintains a teaching studio while serving as the oboe teacher and Program Director at Birch Creek Music Performance Center in Wisconsin. His career spans solo, orchestral, and freelance performances across Latin America, Europe, and the United States.

• Education
  • Master of Music, Northwestern University
  • Bachelor of Music, Northwestern University

Castañeda specializes in music performance, focusing on oboe and woodwind instruments, orchestral studies, and classical music education. His performance engagements include collaborations with prestigious ensembles and orchestras.

Scientific and artistic honors include:

• Winner of the Northwestern University Concerto Competition
• Recipient of the Wade Fetzer award for excellence in performance

He has held principal oboist and solo English Horn roles in multiple orchestras, including the Lake Forest Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, and former positions with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, and Mexico City Philharmonic. Additionally, he has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera Orchestra, Grant Park Symphony, and orchestras for the Bolshoi Ballet, American Ballet Theater, and Joffrey Ballet, among others.