Fr Áureo Castro
Fr Áureo Castro Nunes e Castro (1917-1993), widely known in Macau as Father Áureo, was born on 18 January 1917, in Candelária on Pico Island in the Azores, Portugal. He arrived in Macau on 15 September 1931, at the age of 14, and entered the St Joseph’s Seminary to study theology. During his seminary years, he also studied solfeggio, theory and harmony under Fathers Wilhelm Schmid and Antonio Andre Ngan. He was ordained a priest on 8 September 1943. Following his ordination, Fr Áureo served as a professor at the seminary, and as chaplain and vicar of the Macau Cathedral. He was later appointed parish priest of St Lawrence’s Church and became director of the Catholic weekly newspaper, O Clarim. His other educational roles included serving as teacher of choral singing, and religion and morals at the Liceu and the Pedro Nolasco Commercial School.
In 1951, Fr Áureo went to Lisbon to study music at the National Conservatory, where he also studied voice and piano with Biermann, Arminda Correia and Croner de Vasconcelos (1910-1974). He was also assistant to the Portuguese conductor and musicologist Mario Sampayo Ribeiro (1898-1966) in the choir of the University of Lisbon. He graduated with a distinction in Music Composition in 1958. While in Portugal, he completed Sonata No. 1, Sonata No. 2, Sonatina No. 1, Sonatina No. 2, “Três Corais Melodias Gregorianas” and “Te Deum” for choir and organ. They premiered at the church of São Joao de Deus, Lisbon.
Upon returning to Macau, Fr Áureo promoted religious singing and founded the “Grupo Coral Polifonico” in 1959. In 1962, alongside Fr Cesar Brianza (1918-1986), he founded the “Academia de Musica de São Pio X” (AMSPioX) and became its Director. As the first institution to provide systematic musical training for young people, the Academia marked a significant milestone in the development of music education in Macau. Besides academic studies, the AMSPioX organized free public concerts and invited many internationally renowned musicians to perform in Macau. In 1983, he founded the Macau Chamber Orchestra (the predecessor of the present Macao Orchestra) with British composer Stuart Bonner and a group of friends, laying the foundation for the development of orchestras in Macau.
Fr Áureo dedicated his life to the service of the Church and the promotion of music, leaving a profound impact on the musical history of Macau. Widely recognized as a great composer, conductor and music educator, he received high honors for his contributions. In 1987 and 1990, the Academia and Fr Áureo were twice decorated by the Macau Government with the Medal of Cultural Merit respectively. Fr Áureo passed away on 21 January 1993, at the age of 76, and was buried at the Cemetery of São Miguel Arcanjo.
