Hailed by the New York Times as a flutist who performs with “…virtuoso panache,” Maria Fernanda has participated in international competitions, wining the ‘Gildardo Mojica’ National Flute Competition in Mexico and making it to the Semi-finalist of the Concert Artist Guild Competition in New York City, Throughout the years Maria Fernanda has developed a career in Latin America and The United States as a chamber musician, soloist, recitalist, orchestral performer, musicologist and educator.

Maria Castillo debuted in New York City with the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas in 2008, under Alondra de la Parra. Additionally, in 2009 she had her professional debut as a soloist in Venezuela with the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra under Mtro. Carlos Riazuelo. She has also performed as a soloist with the Caracas Municipal Symphony under Mtros. Rodolfo Saglimbeni and her husband, Régulo Stabilito.
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Co-founder of the Latin American Music Initiative (LAMI) with her husband, orchestra conductor Régulo Stabilito, they are committed to advocating for raising awareness of Latin American repertoire. LAMI has allowed them to reach a large community by performing, recording, lecturing and editing Latin American works. Her work with LAMI has allowed her to be part of the 2020-2021 Mellon Public Engagement in the Humanities Fellow. As a musicologist, Dr. Castillo has created an online flute catalogue with 143 flute works by Venezuelan composers, helping the repertoire be known and accessible for performers all over the world and develop a new approach to flute etude study by contextualizing etudes based on their historical context.

As an orchestral musician Mrs. Castillo was the Associate Principal of the Caracas Municipal Symphony Orchestra until 2015, and has performed with a great deal of orchestras in México, Venezuela and the United States such as, the Caracas Municipal Symphony, the Venezuelan Symphony, the Venezuela National Philharmonic, the Miami City Ballet, the New World Symphony, the Sphinx Symphony, the Mazatlán Sinfonietta, the “Sinaloa de las Artes” Symphony, the Louisiana Philharmonic, the Baton Rouge Symphony, the Acadiana Symphony and the Lake Charles Symphony.

A native of Caracas, Venezuela, Maria Castillo began her flute studies at the age of nine with Venezuelan flutist Luis Julio Toro. She holds a Bachelors and Specialist of Music from the University of Michigan as a student of Amy Porter; and a Masters of Music with honors from the University of Miami under Christine Nield-Capote. Mrs. Castillo currently resides in Ann Arbor where she is pursuing a Doctorate Degree with certificates in musicology; Arts Administration; and Diversity,Equity and Inclusion (DEI) at the University of Michigan.