Campus Directory

Pronouns he, him, his, his, himself

Division Arts Division

Department/ College/ Unit Music Department

Title Senior Lecturer

Affiliation Faculty

Faculty Type Lecturer

Web Site

Primary Office Location Music Center
126

Office Hours for Students/ Office Hours Please Contact for Current Office Times

Mail Stop Music Center

Biography, Education and Training

Chris Pratorius Gómez is a composer and music educator based in Santa Cruz, California. He has written operas, a harp concerto, two orchestral works and pieces for solo voice, choir, chamber ensembles and electronic media that have been performed in San Francisco, Istanbul, New York, Guatemala, Houston and other spots around the world.

2024 saw the revival of Xochitl and the Flowers, presented by Boulder Opera as part of their educational programs. This opera was originally written for Opera Parallèle while Chris was composer-in-residence. This residency saw him write a trio of children's operas for their Hands-on-Opera educational program from 2015-2017. May 2019 saw the 3nd run of Xochitl and the Flowers, presented as a collaboration between Opera Parallèle and the San Francisco Community Music Center, while in 2022 My Head is Full of Colors was reprised by UC Santa Cruz opera.

Another residency, during Quinteto Latino’s first Seminario Institute in 2018, resulted in a triple wind quintet titled Cumbia del Quinceañero.  

Other notable commissions include Claroscuro en Flor, a 25 minute concerto for harp and chamber orchestra commissioned by the American Harp Society and San José Chamber Orchestra, which saw its premiere in 2013 under the baton of Barbara Day Turner. The guitar sonata Ondas do Mar de Vigo can be found on Mesut Özgen's CD Troubadour, and the chamber concerto Untogether, not Apart, was premiered by New Music Works in 2014. Contraponientes, a choral song-cycle based on poetry by Federico García Lorca, was commissioned by Ariose Singers in 2012 and a commission from Santa Cruz Ballet Theater for the ballet Being of One’s Hour premiered in Montreal in 2012.

A recording of Chris’ piece La Virgen a solas featuring Celesti’anna Jordan, soprano and Vlada Moran, organ was released in 2025 and is available on streaming platforms. Using texts from the 16th century Cancionero de Upsala it traces the feelings of Mary, who without shelter is about to give birth, and expresses solidarity with her plight.

Currently Chris is collaborating with Marea Ensemble and queer poet Kristen Nelson on Sonder, which tells stories of resistance against hatred and discrimination.  

Chris teaches theory, composition and electronic music at UC Santa Cruz and maintains a private piano and composition studio. For more information and audio visit www.pratorius.com