Aris Carastathis received his early musical training at the Attica Conservatory in Athens, Greece and completed his Bachelor (guitar) and Master (composition) degrees in music at the University of Northern Iowa. He graduated with a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree from Louisiana State University in 1988, where he studied composition with Dinos Constantinides. He is an Associate Composer and Voting Member of the Canadian Music Centre, and an elected member of the Greek Composers Union. He was a Founding Member of the Board of Directors of New Music North.