(b. 1963, Bethlehem).

Palestinian composer, now resident in France, of mostly chamber works that have been performed in Europe and elsewhere.

Mr. Anastas studied piano as a child in Bethlehem and later studied counterpoint and harmony privately in Paris. He attended seminars by Iannis Xenakis at the Centre Saint-Charles of the Université Paris-1 Panthéon-Sorbonne from 1985–89 and also studied musical cognitive-psychology with Steven McAdams at the Centre National des Recherches Scientifiques at IRCAM in Paris from 1987–91.

He has received commissions from Les Ateliers UPIC, INA/GRM, the Ministry of Culture of Greece, Radio France, and UNESCO, among other organisations. His music has been performed in Argentina, France, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Palestine, and Venezuela.

He is also active in other positions. He has served as a cultural advisor to the delegation in Palestine of UNESCO in Paris since 2000.

He taught computer-music languages at the Conservatoire Jean Françaix in Vanves from 1991–93 and sound engineering at the École Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Techniques du Théâtre in Paris from 1992–97. In addition, he has lectured throughout France and in Belgium, the Netherlands and Palestine.

He has lived in France since 1981.

His publisher is Opus Centrum.

COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS

ORCHESTRAL:

Le cri du peuple, flute, percussion, 15 strings, 2003–04

Break down the Walls, 2004

CHAMBER MUSIC:

Étude procédurale, double bass, synthesizer/fixed media, 1991

Né du néant, alto saxophone, fixed media, 1993 (also version for fixed media)

Maqam, flute, fixed media, 1997 (version of work for fixed media)

La mort du temps, flute, oboe, clarinet, violin, viola, cello, piano, percussion, 1998–99

Glisse en do, violin, 2000

Bis en Ré, violin, 2001

Les Cinq Sens, violin, piano, percussion, 2001

Némésis, violin, live electronics, 2001, revised 2003–04

Les Routes de l'Olivier, timpani, 2003

VOCAL:

Sikour (text by the composer, after an anonymous text from the Arabic world), soprano, violin, piano, 2002–03

PIANO:

Thème de Bethléem 2000, 2000

Petite étude pour la paix, 2001

ELECTROACOUSTIC:

Né du néant, fixed media, 1995 (version of work for alto saxophone, fixed media)

Maqam, fixed media, 1996 (also version for flute, fixed media)

Sentence Funèbre (Plédoirie musicale contre la peine de mort), fixed media, 2002

DIDACTIC MUSIC:

Exercices Architectoniques, piano, 2001

Bis en sol, piano, 2001

L'Amour en La, piano, 2001