Taylor DeCastro

Born and raised on O’ahu, Hawai’i, Taylor DeCastro is a versatile violinist whose artistry spans period performance and experimental music. Now based in Seattle, she is currently finishing her Master of Music at the University of Washington, where she serves as a graduate teaching assistant.

Her orchestral experience includes recent appointments as Concertmaster of Philharmonia Northwest and Assistant PrincipalSecond Violin of the Olympia Symphony Orchestra. With Philharmonia Northwest, Ms. DeCastro has performed on Classical KING's Northwest Focus Live. She also performs with Philharmonie Austin (TX), a period-instrument ensemble, and appears on their recordings released by Navona Records. Past engagements include performances with Emerald City Music, the Auburn Symphony Orchestra, Yakima Symphony Orchestra, Bellevue Symphony Orchestra, and Fox Valley Symphony Orchestra (WI). In 2024, she was named a finalist in the Musicians Club of Women Competition in Chicago, IL, and has performed across the United States, Canada, and France.

Equally at home in early music and the avant‑garde, she has recently appeared as a soloist in J.S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 with the Bainbridge Symphony Orchestra. Fascinated by intersections of the past and present, Ms. DeCastro also specializes in new music, previously collaborating with renowned composers inti figgis-vizueta and Michael Gordon. Reflecting her dual interests, Ms. DeCastro has served as the teaching assistant of both the Baroque and the Modern Music Ensembles at the University of Washington.

An advocate for equity and accessibility in music, Ms. DeCastro is continuously striving to create inclusive learning environments and diverse programming. She currently teaches violin and viola at the Epiphany Music Academy and coaches chamber groups and sectionals at UW. As a woman of color, Ms. DeCastro is passionate about bringing the works of underrepresented composers to life. Her performance for the Black Composers Project at the University of Washington has been featured on Minnesota Public Radio. Ms. DeCastro earned her Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance at the Lawrence University Conservatory of Music, summa cum laude, where she also minored in Studio Art. Her primary teachers include Rachel Lee Priday, Samantha George, and Colin Belisle.