About this Artist

Chris Castro is a composer, double bassist, theorist, and educator residing in Southern California. He is a recipient of a 2023 commission from the Fromm Music Foundation at Harvard University and Chamber Music America's 2021 Classical Commissioning Award. His music has been described as “on par with Varèse” (anonymous CMA juror) and “at once celebratory and solemn” (San Francisco Classical Voice). His music draws from “the rich tradition of Western Art Music, from Johannes Ockeghem’s ‘Missa Prolationum’ to John Coltrane's ‘Ascension.’” As a new music advocate, Castro serves on the artistic advisory board for the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble and New Mexico Contemporary Ensemble, and he will be premiering two solo double bass works written for him by Phil Acimovic and Linda Catlin Smith in fall 2024. Castro holds degrees from The Juilliard School (double bass and composition) and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Davis, in composition and music theory. He lectures for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Upbeat Live series. He is an Assistant Professor of Composition at Chapman University.