Education
From 1940-1942, he attended the Mannes Music School and later studied composition at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia (1944-1950), earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1950.
From 1940-1942, he attended the Mannes Music School and later studied composition at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia (1944-1950), earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1950.
Following his high school education in Mount Vernon, New York, Kastle began his musical training at the Juilliard School of Music (1938-1940). While at the Curtis Institute, he held scholarships in composition with Rosario Scalero, Gian-Carlo Menotti and Samuel Barber, and a piano scholarship with Isabelle Vengerova. He attended Columbia University from 1947 to 1950.
In 1956, Kastle composed a thirteen-minute "made-to-measure" opera, titled The Swing, for two singers, a speaking part, and piano accompaniment.
lieutenant was commissioned by and broadcast on the National Broadcasting Company television network on Sunday, June 10, 1956, at noon. In a 2003 interview for the Criterion Collection, he said that no producer wanted Wedding at Cana, just another Honeymoon Killers, which he did not want to do.
After The Honeymoon Killers, Kastle returned to teaching and composing. After the Criterion release of the film, he was rediscovered by a new generation of cult film enthusiasts and occasionally attended film-related events such as the Editor Wood Film Festival in 2007, where he served on the panel of judges.
He was an adjunct member of the State University of New York Albany music faculty.