He was born in the car when his mother had reached near Sacred Heart Church, Santa Cruz. “I was in a hurry,” laughs Oscar Castellino, an international operatic baritone, who has made his name across the world for his soul stirring voice. Son of Edmond Castellino from Assagao and Osmita Pais from Curtorim and Loutolim, he has three siblings. Born in Mumbai, he grew up in Mussoorie near Dehradun, where his parents were teachers in a school run by the Irish Patrician Brothers.
Just like music and singing is given importance in Goa and Mumbai, his father, brought the same culture to the church in Mussoorie. “My parents were the backbone of the choir. My father would conduct the choir, my mother was a loud singer, my brother would play the keyboards and my sister would sing solos. It was a wonderful atmosphere,” reminisces Oscar, who moved to Mumbai at the age of 17 to study Physics at the St Xavier’s College in Mumbai.
When he moved to Mumbai, he was introduced to the director of Stop-Gaps, Alfred D’Souza, who organised shows just like Broadway with acting, singing and even making their own costumes. “I had the chance to sing solos and initially it was a new thing for me but it gave me the confidence to attend the Patricia Rozario workshops in Mumbai. I was already working as a software engineer, but I moved to England to train under her at the Royal College of Music,” says Oscar, as he took his first steps into the wide world of music.
From Mumbai to London, there was a huge difference in the level of music that Oscar immediately noticed. “It was a steep learning curve. I came across musicians who had years of training in classical music and I didn’t even read sheet music. There was a standardized way of music and everything was so disciplined. I had the experience of acting which I played to my advantage,” adds Oscar, who completed a four year course in Bachelor of Music at the Royal College of Music and an advanced singing in opera course at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He was one of the singers at Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee Pageant in 2012.
With his degree in Physics from St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, Oscar could relate to the Mars Mission and composed the anthem for the planet Mars, commissioned by the Mars Society USA. “I came across the Mars Society founded by Dr Robert Zubrin and he asked me to write something for Mars. I wrote the music and lyrics and Dr Robert also gave his inputs for the lyrics. The first recording was in 2017 at Wales and the second recording was at California,” says Oscar. He also released his second song for space by the International Mars Society, ‘Halfway to Mars’ for the 2020 Missions to Mars.
Oscar is also working on an interesting Konkani Opera Project which features Konkani music in an operatic style. “I was inspired by concerts in operatic styles and as part of the Konkani Opera Project, I did a show in London where I san operas in Konkani and Patricia Rozario sang Mandos. I am looking forward to collaborating with somebody from the tiatr stage for an hour or 45 minutes show,” he explains. He also sang the Konkani Christmas carol, ‘Mari Matek Ballok Zala’ (Mother Mary has had a baby) in collaboration with Inner Vision Orchestra, UK’s only blind ensemble. The song was composed by the great Goan violinist Micael Martins and penned by noted Goan poet Manohar Rai Sardessai. “I had the opportunity to meet Manohar Rai Sardessai’s daughter when she came for the Stuti Ensemble Choral performance at Bom Jesus.”
Oscar is the ensemble in the Royal Opera House in ‘Aida’ and he is also part of ‘Elixir of Love’ at the Longborough Festival Opera. In India, he will be performing the ‘Seven Last Words of Christ’ with the Newman Choir in Mumbai on March 12 and an opera show with the Bombay Orchestra Chamber at the Sophia Bhabha Auditorium in Sophia College for Women, Mumbai on March 18. He also loves dancing which is quite visible through the numerous videos he uploads on social media. “I love dancing as it also enhances my movement on stage for my performance. I love Latin dance especially from Dominican Republic and Cuba,” he says.
Speaking about the music he has experienced in Goa during his this trip, Oscar sees a lot of potential in Goa. “I feel there is great music in Goa, Stuti Choral Ensemble is a very exciting step in the right direction. Goa is always at the top of the Western Classical map of India. Over the last two decades, there have been various centres that have encouraged Western Classical music. Stuti has been able to achieve that. I realised this when I heard the glorious sound for the first rehearsal with the ensemble. I was truly amazed,” concludes Oscar.