Principal violist of the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra, violist of the Laredo String Quartet, and violin/viola instructor at the Laredo Community College, Luis Casal is one of Panama’s leading violinists and violists. He is currently honorary academic advisor to the Alfredo Saint Malo Music Festival and vice president of the Sinfonia Concertante Foundation of Panama. Known for his charisma, versatility, and musicality, Mr. Casal is a favorite among audiences quickly establishing himself in both art and folk music stages. He has represented his country in events in Japan, England, Paris, Italy, and the United States.

An experienced orchestra player, Mr. Casal has held the position of Principal Violist ad honorem of the National Symphony of Panama and Concertmaster of the Butler Symphony Orchestra in Butler, Pennsylvania. Some of the prestigious conductors he has worked under include Sergio Commissiona, Charles Dutoit, David Effron, Larry Rachleff, Juan Pablo Izquierdo, and Elisabeth Heath Charles.

Mr. Casal has played as soloist with the National Symphony of Panama, the Chamber Orchestra of the National University of Panama, the Youth Symphony of Panama, the Glenelg Chamber Orchestra, and the Laredo Philharmonic Orchestra.

A sought out chamber player, Mr. Casal keeps an active agenda performing violin and viola recitals, duo recitals along with his brother cellist Isaac Casal, and trio recitals in partnership with the Latinum Duet. Some of the cities where Mr. Casal has performed include his native Panama City (Panama), Annapolis, Baltimore, Columbia, Laredo, Chicago, and Washington D. C., where he performed at the Embassy of Panama in 1998 along with his brother Isaac Casal.

Aside from his duties as a performer, Mr. Casal invests much time as a pedagogue. He was first appointed violin teacher at the National Institute of Music in Panama in 1996, but left his position to continue his studies. He maintains a close relationship with the arts in Panama by frequently giving lectures and master classes in several of Panama’s universities. In 2003 he was appointed viola teacher of the 2003 Oklahoma Arts Institute Summer Festival in Quartz Mountain, Oklahoma. In November 2006 and November 2007 he was invited to serve as conductor and clinician of the Region 14 Middle School Orchestra in Texas, and in January 2008 Mr. Casal led a music seminar for the National Institute of Culture of Panama and the Danilo Perez Foundation.

Mr. Casal’s discography includes Gustavo Salamín y Luis Casal, Música de Cámara Folclórica Panameña (Panamanian Folk Chamber Music) released in 2002, and Luis Casal: Homage to Panama, released in January 2007 by the label Earthcds Partners.

Luis began his violin studies at the age of 6 under professor Jorge Vergara and in 1992 moved to the United States to study under scholarship at the New World School of the Arts. He holds degrees from the University of Florida (with honors), Carnegie Mellon University, Indiana University, and the University of Oklahoma. His major teachers include Cathy Robinson, the Miami String Quartet, Carolyn Huebl, Matthew Dane, Daniel Heiftetz, Atar Arad, and Ilya Kaler.

THE PANAMA NEWS – Vol. 9, No. 15, August 3-16, 2003
“Panamanian Violist … played a wide range of difficult pieces, establishing his place among this country’s musical elite … So yes, Panama does have a worthy classical scene, and right at the top of it we find Luis Enrique Casal.”

THE NORMAN TRANSCRIPT – August 12, 2005
“Casal alternated between conducting the orchestra, singing with a strong tenor and playing masterful violin. He's a natural.”