He is an Associate Composer and Voting Member of the Canadian Music Centre. He holds a DMA degree from Louisiana State University where he studied with Dinos Constantinides. Carastathis has received several commissions including those from the Canadian Music Centre, Norman Burgess Memorial Fund, Music Canada 2000 Festival Inc., Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, Lakehead University Centre for Northern Studies, Louisiana Sinfonietta, and Acadia Trio. His works have been performed in Austria, Canada, England, Germany, Greece, Kazakhstan, Poland, Serbia and U.S.A, including performances at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York.