Chester Biscardi

Short bio Chester Biscardi

Birthday: 1948 in Kenosha, WI

Active: 1970s - 2010s

Genre: Classical,Avant-Garde

Period: Contemporary, Modern

Full biography Chester Biscardi

Chester Biscardi is an American composer born in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 1948. He started to write music at the age of nine and has since created a substantial body of work in a variety of genres. Biscardi's music has been performed throughout Asia , Europe, and the United States by a variety of orchestras, ensembles, and soloists.

Some of Biscardi's notable works include "Incitation to Desire (Tango)", a short piano piece composed in 1984, and "At the Still Point", an opera he wrote with Henry Butler in 1985. He has also written music for solo instruments, chamber ensembles, and orchestra, as well as vocal music with various settings for a wide range of texts.

Biscardi's music is known for its sensitivity to text and characters, and he often draws inspiration from literary works. He has collaborated with several poets and librettists, notably including Harriet Scott Chessman and Elizabeth Spires.

Biscardi has received numerous awards and grants for his work, including fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. He has also been a professor of music at various universities, including The City College of New York and Columbia University.

Overall, Chester Biscardi is a highly regarded composer with a significant body of work across a range of genres and collaborations with several notable poets and librettists.

Compositions featuring Chester Biscardi

#	Name	Duration	Genre	Year
1	The Viola Had Suddenly Become a Voice, for viola & piano	4:35 min	Chamber Music	2005
2	Quintet for string quartet & piano	13:28 min	Chamber Music	2004
3	Recovering, for soprano & piano	5:36 min	Vocal Music	2000
4	In Time's Unfolding, for piano	6:04 min	Keyboard	2000
5	Guru, for soprano & piano	1:41 min	Vocal Music	1995
6	Baby Song of the Four Winds, for soprano & piano	3:16 min	Vocal Music	1994
7	Nel giardinetto della villa (In the Little Garden of the Villa), for piano 4 hands	9:25 min	Keyboard	1994
8	The Gift of Life, for soprano & piano	9:37 min	Vocal Music	1990
9	Companion Piece (For Morton Feldman), for piano	6:54 min	Keyboard	1989
10	Sonata for piano	10:18 min	Keyboard	1987
11	Traverso, for flute & piano	7:56 min	Chamber Music	1987
12	Incitation to Desire (Tango), for piano	3:19 min	Keyboard	1984
13	Di Vivere, for clarinet, flute, violin, cello & piano	9:49 min	Chamber Music	1981
14	Trasumanar for 12 percussionists & piano	17:31 min	Chamber Music	1980
15	Mestiere for piano	6:42 min	Keyboard	1979
16	At the Still Point for orchestra	13:10 min	Orchestral	1977
17	Tenzone, for 2 flutes & piano	7:43 min	Chamber Music	1975
18	Tartini, for violin & piano	4:47 min	Chamber Music	1972

Albums featuring Chester Biscardi

#	Name album	Year	Music label
1	In Time's Unfolding (Chamber and Instrumental Music)(CD, Album)	2011	Naxos
2	Cygnus Ensemble, William Anderson (2), Chester Biscardi, Anthony Braxton, Sebastian Currier, John Halle, David Lang, Robert Pollock, Charles Wuorinen – Broken Consort(CD, )	2000	Composers Recordings Inc. (CRI)
3	At The Still Point(CD, Compilation)	1995	Composers Recordings Inc. (CRI)
4	Chester Biscardi, David Olan – Piano Sonata/Mestiere/Trasumanar, Composition For Clarinet And Tape/After Great Pain/Prism(CD, Album)	1988	Composers Recordings Inc. (CRI)
5	American Composers Orchestra, Paul Dunkel - Tobias Picker / Chester Biscardi – Violin Concerto / At The Still Point(LP, Album)	1982	Composers Recordings Inc. (CRI)
6	John Anthony Lennon / Eleanor Cory / Chester Biscardi / Charles Wuorinen – American Composers Alliance Recording Award(LP, Stereo)	1982	Composers Recordings Inc. (CRI)
7	Luening / Biscardi / Lee / Dick – Flute Possibilities(LP, Album)	1979	Composers Recordings Inc. (CRI)