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Chris Lastovicka

Chris Lastovicka designs music dealing primarily with psychological and metaphysical subjects. Most of Lastovicka’s music can be loosely categorized as mystic minimalism.

An excerpt from Lastovicka’s opera "Crossing the Horizon" was performed by New York City Opera at their VOX: Showcasing American Composers festival; the opera was also a finalist in OperaVista’s international chamber opera competition (Houston). Lastovicka’s music has been performed at the Boston Early Music Festival, Merce Cunningham Studio, and in Spoleto, Italy. Chris Lastovicka composed the original score for Robin Becker Dance’s "Into Sunlight", a work about the Vietnam War that has enjoyed performances internationally.

Chris Lastovicka released their first album of chamber music "Fortune Has Turned" in 2005 on the Ahari Press label. Lastovicka’s "Láska" for oboe d’amore and harpsichord is released on Classic Concert Records (Austria). Lastovicka released "Fortune Has Turned (Remixed)" with mix engineer Jeremy Allom in 2019 on the Ahari Press label.

Lastovicka is the recipient of a Presser Award, a Hatz Award, a CAP Award from New Music USA, and grants from NYSCA and NYFA. Lastovicka is the winner of the inaugural Melodia Women’s Choir (NYC) Commission Competition. At age 14, Lastovicka became the youngest winner in the history of Chicago’s Gruenstein Memorial National Organ Competition. At 15, Chris won the Otto B. Schoepfle National Organ Competition.

Chris Lastovicka studied composition as a teenager at the SC Governor’s School for the Arts with Samuel Adler and continued their studies with Adler through correspondence. During college Lastovicka studied composition primarily with Frederick Bianchi, and also with Joel Hoffman, and Allen Sapp; and organ with Roberta Gary. After college, Lastovicka studied orchestration with Dominick Argento.

Chris Lastovicka attended the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music on full scholarship and graduated summa cum laude. Chris was raised in Hartsville, SC.

Chris is currently working on the production of a recording of their compositions "Láska" and "Rejection" with Taisiya Pushkar, piano / Colleen Clark, drums / Henry Beal, double bass / Nêgah Santos, percussion / Bisan Toron, vocalist / Eric Bates, violin. (2020)

Awards

One of ten composers selected for New York City Opera’s Vox: Showcasing American Composers festival. One of 4 finalists in the Opera Vista International Chamber Opera Competition, Houston, TX


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Album Review

Chris Lastovicka: Fortune Has Turned (Remixed)

Read "Fortune Has Turned (Remixed)" reviewed by Paul Naser


"The end of separateness. The beginning of the heart." So reads the description on the recently premiered video for composer Chris Lastovicka's “The End of Tyranny (Remixed)," one of two singles from their upcoming Fortune Has Turned (Remixed), to be released April 12, 2019, on the Ahari label. The evocative “The End of Tyranny (Remixed)" could be right out of a film score, and Lastovicka has been compared to the late Jóhann Jóhannsson. The slow-burning instrumental is ...

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"Fortune Has Turned (Remixed)":

“A masterpiece.” —Stars & Celebs

“You don’t want to miss this…mesmerizing in its intensity, and overwhelmingly passionate.” —Tattoo

“Few manage to create something that at once feels removed or distant from the composer and yet still retains a high degree of raw emotional honesty.” —The Big Takeover Magazine

“The album almost dares you to try and not feel something while listening to it.” —Big Sky State Buzz

“A journey of self-discovery, a journey of finding out who we really are.” —VENTS Magazine

“Chris Lastovicka is a master who is able to write something so timeless and also so timely. It sounds like forgiveness…” —North Hollywood Arts District

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