The following 4 movements are excerpted:
1 - you have to start slow before you can go fast 
(3 accordion mirror canons in pairs)  
00:00 - 04:06
2 - Are you aware? What are you aware of? 
(distorted canons are distributed across the ensemble) 
04:08 - 09:00
4 - Thought is the History of Language 
(unison playing becomes twisted and torqued antiphonal "chorusing") 
09:01 - 12:55
5 - don't worry; you can always begin again 
(a warped version of The Sacred Harp song "When I am Gone" by John Ellis emerges at the end of the piece) 
12:56 - 15:03
--
What I do when the world stops: 

Permission to really consider what was in front of me, in my future, but not too much in the future. That is too chaotic, too out of sight - over my horizon.

The way I see my future is an analogue for the way I know my past. The past is fixed, clear in some places, opaque in others, altogether invisible for much of the rest, and (like the future) totally beyond my control. My past is a metaphor for my vision of my future. In all honesty, it is not a 
metaphor at all. Both directions are finite.

The things that I am constantly consumed with when I make work return to me over and over and over, no matter how hard I try to rid myself of their infectious nature; they feel like a contagion to me, they are my epidemic, and I am pretty sure that at this point I will not fully recover from them. There is no vaccine or relief. These things are: how I remember my memories (what Toni Morrison calls "rememory"); the mechanisms of failure that inhabits the most mundane of tasks is filled with a potential for collapse; how little agency I think I have about my future (alla Agnes Callard); the only thing that I can be present for is the present; hope is an act of beauty to create empathy and connect with others (alla Elaine Scarry).

I like to think about how I make things, to think about how others make things, especially things made by those who are not musicians - to think about how others do what they do (which is not what I do) with the hope it might provide me with new ways for making work. It is important for 
me to understand as much as I can and allow it to inform/guide a lot of my creative acts...and then to say "fuck it - just fuck it all!" and do it. Failure is closeby, in every step, at every turn.

In many ways, my creative work is a metaphor for my lived life; trying really hard, preparing very intensively, allowing much to come to bear, and hoping. The score to "the future is finite" is adorned with the following two epigrams from books I was reading at the time of I was composing this piece:

"In the morning, 
as her consciousness streamed in with the sun, 
a vision came to her, 
unbidden but not unwelcome: 
of the ends of things, 
the time between now and then, 
the world without her."

from "Wayward" by Dana Spiotta
--
"The problem with sweetness is death.
The problem with everything is death."

from "frank: sonnets" by Diane Seuss
--
Commissioned by the Chamber Music Conference and Composers' Forum of the East for its 75th Anniversary season, with the generous support of Trish Maxson and Linda Rappaport. The piece is dedicated, with gratitude, to Donald Crockett. The performers were:

Conor Nelson, flute
Jacqueline Leclair, oboe
Garrick Zoeter, clarinet
Gilbert Dejean, bassoon
Leander Star, horn
Jessica Powell Eig, double bass

excerpts from "the future is finite" for wind quintet and double bass (2021-22)

Hi, I'm Jean-Charles.
I'm a music lover, but you probably guessed that if you're here.
I am proud to be a "Ch'ti". For those who don't know, it means I come from Northern France, a land known for its values of human warmth, simplicity, and friendliness. That said, I was "adopted" by the Jura region. It was there, through the Besançon International Competition for Young Conductors, that I discovered classical music from a fascinating angle that deeply left its mark on me.
I love the diversity of music and cultures. I have a special affection for the recorder, opera, piano, zither, oboe, clarinet, trumpet, pan flute, and harmonica.
My goal here, through my reposts, is to offer you a journey through time and space.
In this regard, I want to express my immense respect for Pandora Records. Founded by Al Goldstein, this visionary label chose, after ceasing operations, to release its entire back catalog under an open license. A large part of the tracks I share here comes from this invaluable archive. Thanks to their generosity, we can rediscover these historical interpretations (often on period instruments) that might otherwise have been forgotten.
Thank you all for the talent you share here.
Wishing you great listening and happy discoveries!
Check out my other specialized pages:
GO WITH THE WIND - Recorder / Blockflote / Flûte à bec : (@go-with-the-wind)
HARP and ZITHER - Harp, Kannel, Kantele, Gusli, Zither... : (@zither-et-cetra)

Chris Castro is a composer, double bassist, theorist, and educator residing in Southern California. He is a recipient of the 2023 Fromm Music Foundation Commission from 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, Chris serves on the artistic advisory board for the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, New Mexico Contemporary Ensemble, and will be premiering two solo double bass works written for him by Phil Acimovic and Linda Catlin Smith in the fall of 2024. Chris holds degrees from the Juilliard School (double bass and composition) and a PhD 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. 

Website: https://www.chriscastrocomposer.com

Contact: crcastro36@gmail.com

Selected list of works:
Dispositio for alto flute, English horn, piano, electric guitar, viola, and double bass (2025)
Four Partsongs from Babel for SSAATTBB Chorus (2025)
Lines II - Missa Sine Nomine for Trombone, Electric Guitar, Accordion, Violin, and Contrabass (2025)
Missa Brevis for Bass Clarinet and Double Bass (2024)
Tumba for Alto Flute, Cello, and Well-Tempered Clavier (2024)
Lines for Flute(s), Percussion, Harp, Viola, & Cello (2024)
Forms & Doubles for Flute(s) and Viola (2024)
Two Partsongs for Treble Voices (2024)
Canções dos Desassossego (Songs of Disquiet) for Soprano and String Quartet (2023)
Á la tienne! for Speaking Pianist (2023)
Eight Pops & A Center Pop for Contralto, Viola, Cello, and Organ (2023)
Snow White & Rose Red for Storyteller and Orchestra (2023)
Two Songs & Two Doubles for Voice and Well-Tempered Clavier (2023)
Miroirs Obscurcis for Well-Tempered Clavier (2023)
1722 for Open Instrumentation (2022)
Fauxbourdon After Ellington for Open Instrumentation (2022)
Two Songs for the OPP (from Brooklyn Narcissus) for Soprano and Chamber Ensemble (2022)
Clock-a-clay for Piano Trio (2021)
Beethausenstro - Castockhoven for Two Pianos (2020)
La for Alto Flute, Bass Clarinet, and Viola (2019)
Brooklyn Narcissus II for Soprano and Chamber Orchestra (2019)
Coyote Goes To The Sky & Birds Of Fortune: Two Stories for Storyteller, Flute, Cello, and Percussion (2019)
Sing High for Violin and Orchestra (2018)
Easy & Sad for Seven players (2018)
Choruses IV for String Quartet (2017)
IV - I for Two Pianos (2017)
Choruses III for Chamber Orchestra (2017)
Music for the short-film 'Postmodern Love' (2017)
A Drinking Song for SATB Choir (2017)
Brooklyn Narcissus I for Solo Soprano (2017)
Sing Low for Trombone and Ensemble (2017)
Choruses II for Violin and Piano (2016)
Ruines for Flute and Chamber Ensemble (2016)
Cavatine for Orchestra (2016)
Nocturne for Flute, Clarinet, Cello (2015)
Scherzo for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet (2015)
Cavatine for Solo Cello (2015)
Variations on an Original Theme for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano (2015)
Choruses I for String Quartet (2015)
Storm Fear for Mezzo-soprano and Piano (2014)
Poseidon's Steeds for Women's Choir and Organ (2014)
Movement for Piano (2014)
Etude for Percussion and Electronics (2013)
Fantasy on a Theme of James Bassi (backwards) for Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Viola, and Cello (2013)
Maw for String Quartet (2012)
Brooklyn Hymn-Variations for Saxophone Ensemble (2012)
Song of Quietness for SATB Chorus (2012)
Hymn and Fuguin' Tune for Cello Duo (2011)
When Jesus Wept (After Billings) for Brass Quintet (2011)
Monolith (A Symphonic Sketch) for Orchestra (2010)
Kyrie for SATB Chorus (2010)
Burn Like Roman Candles for Big Band (2009)
Suite for Double Bass (2008)
Nothing for String Quartet (2008)
Essay for Orchestra (2007)

This an easy way to get quick access to recent (& not-so-recent) works of mine. Contact me with any queries. REQUEST: Should you wish to play my work, I ask you include it on a program that reflect the values of belonging, and make an honest effort to be fully inclusive. Thank you.

(pronounced Road-HEE or Rhoad-DAH)

excerpts from "the future is finite" for wind quintet and double bass (2021-22)

Kurt Rohde