Biography : Curriculum Vitae : Selected Readings
Published Articles
Address given to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual Alumni Council of the Wisconsin Alumni Association at the Great Hall of the Wisconsin Union of the University of Wisconsin-Madison on July 20, 1997 in acceptance of the 1997 Distinguished Alumni Award presented by the GLB Alumni Council/ WAA Board of Directors in recognition of achievements as a composer and a performer; first recipient who has distinguished him or her self in the arts; http://www.jessanderson.org/doc/chet.html
“Encounters with Feldman” and “Feldman: Homage,” Morton Feldman Page; London: April 2000; http://www.cnvill.demon.co.uk/mfbiscr2.htm; http://www.cnvill.demon.co.uk/mfbiscr1.htm
Journal excerpts from Volumes I (Madison) and XXXIX (Ogunquit) in The Way In, Journal Writing for Self Discovery, by Rita Jacobs; Stewart, Tabori & Chang; New York, 2001; ISBN 1-58479-065-2
“Keeping a Long Work Alive,” Sarah Lawrence Magazine, Bronxville, New York: Fall/Winter 1987-1988, pp. 14-16
Liner notes for Chester Biscardi: In Time’s Unfolding, Naxos 8.559639, Hong Kong: 2011, 4 pages
Liner notes for Chester Biscardi • At the Still Point, CRI CD 686, New York: 1995, 11 pages
Liner notes for Chester Biscardi • David Olan, CRI (Composers Recordings, Inc.) CD 565, New York: 1988, 15 pages
Liner notes for Gay American Composers, CRI CD 721, New York: 1996, 23 pages
The Music of Frank Wigglesworth, CRI CD 733 (Executive Producers: Chester Biscardi and Jody R. Dalton), New York: 1996, 12 pages
“Portovenere” (Journal excerpt from Volume XLI) in City Secrets Florence, Venice, & the Towns of Italy; Robert S. Kahn, Series Editor; The Little Bookroom; New York: 2001; ISBN 1-892145-01-4
Unpublished Books and Articles
“Composer as Cross-Cultural Ambassador,” 2010, 5 pages typescript
Italian for Singers, 1975, 113 pages typescript
“Juxtaposed Landscapes: An American Composer Journeys Into Japan,” 1990, 9 pages typescript
“Mr. Parson His Songe,” 1974, 4 pages typescript and 10 pages of manuscript (transcription of Robert Parson’s Songe)
Patterns of the Past (review), by Sarah Peters; The University of Wisconsin Press; Madison, Wisconsin; 2001, 3 pages typescript
“Pitch Relations in Stockhausen: Stop,” 1976, 23 pages typescript and 2 pages of graphs
“Preliminary Report: Harry Partch in Madison,” 1973, 13 pages typescript
Published Articles and Books about Chester Biscardi
“Chester Biscardi Goes to China,” Sarah Lawrence College “News and Events”, July 27, 2010; http://www.slc.edu/news-events/news/2010-07-27-chester-biscardi-goes-to-china-fs.html
Jess Anderson, “Anatomy of an Opera,” Isthmus, Madison, Wisconsin, October 4, 1985
John W. Barker, “A Tight-Rope for Two” and “Biscardi the Composer: Output and Recordings,” The Opera Prompter, No. 11; Madison, Wisconsin: Opera Props Publishers, October 1985, pp. 2-12
Gregory Berg, “Chester Biscardi – At the Still Point,” The Listener’s Gallery, Journal of Singing, Jacksonville, Florida, September/October 2008, pp. 122-123
Gregory Berg, “Chester Biscardi: Sailors & Dreamers”, The Listener’s Gallery, Journal of Singing, Vol. 68, Issue 5, Jacksonville, Florida, May/June 2012, pp. 611-612
Joseph Botz, “Chester Biscardi: Fusing Landscapes with a Seamless Bridge,” Neo-Tokyo Magazine, Issue 10, January 1997; UK Website; http://www.neo-tokyo.com
Martin Brody, ed., Music and Musical Composition at the American Academy in Rome (Eastman Studies in Music), University of Rochester Press, 2014
Eric R. Bronner, “New ‘Standards’ for Singers: The Next Generation of Great American Songbook Writers,” Journal of Singing 63, no. 4, Jacksonville, Florida, March/April 2007, pp. 457-462
Gianluca Campagnolo, New Complete Method for Clarinet: Clarinet Repertoire, Modica, Italy, 2008, p. 89; http://gianlucacampagnolo.interfree.it/engl/Il_Metodo.htm
Judith Carman (with William K. Gaeddert, Rita M. Resch, and Gordon Myers), “The Gift of Life” and others, Art Song in the United States, 1759-1999, An Annotated Bibliography, Third Edition, The Scarecrow Press, Inc., Lanham, Maryland, and London, 2002, pp. 52, 400, 417 & 329
Judith Carman, “New Songs by American Composers: Chester Biscardi,” Music Reviews, Journal of Singing, Jacksonville, Florida, September/October 2008, pp. 111-112
Judith Carman, “A Study in Contrasts,” Music Reviews, Journal of Singing, Jacksonville, Florida, November/December 2011, pp. 231-233
James Chute, “His Opera, ‘Tight-Rope,’ Changes Composer’s Style,” The Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, September 29, 1985
Keith E. Clifton, Recent American Art Song: A Guide; forward by Paul Sperry, The Scarecrow Press, Inc., Lanham, Maryland, 2008, 330 pages; pg. 16-18
Arthur Cohn, The Literature of Chamber Music, Hinshaw Music, Inc., Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 1997, pp. 313-314
Jody Dalton, “Chester Biscardi goes to China,” My Big Gay Ears, July 30, 2010; http://mybiggayears.com/archives/chester-biscardi-goes-to-china/
Phil Davis, “Rope Opera,” Isthmus, Madison, Wisconsin, May 10, 1985
Charlotte Doyle, “Creative Experience–Multiple Worlds, Projects, Emotions, and Endpoints: On Glăveanu & Beghetto’s Definition of Creativity,” Creativity Research Journal and Taylor & Francis Online, London, September 2022
Charlotte Doyle, The Creative Process: Stories from the Arts and Sciences, Routledge, New York and London, 2022; Part 3: Focus on Intuition and Embodied Creating, Chapter 6. Music by Biscardi: Letting the Hands Go Someplace; pp. ix, 1-5, 81-92, 163-175
Arno P. Drucker, American Piano Trios: A Resource Guide, The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1999
Carmen Eisner, “‘Tight-Rope’ Unites Opera Creators” and “Composer’s Route to Success Rocky,” Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, Wisconsin, July 1, 1985
Gary Evans, Music Inspired by Art: A Guide to Recordings, Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland, 2004
Nicole V. Gagné, Historical Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Classical Music, Scarecrow Press, Lanham Maryland, 2012, pp. 38 & 190
Nicole V. Gagné, “The Beaten Path: A History Of American Percussion Music: Percussion Music Is Revolution,” NewMusicBox, April 1, 2004; http://www.newmusicbox.org/page.nmbx?id=60tp03
Allen Gimbel, “Biscardi: Chamber Pieces,” American Record Guide, Volume 74, Issue 6, Washington, November/December 2011, pg. 67
Adam Gopnik, The Real Work: On The Mystery of Mastery, Liverlight (W. W. Norton & Company), New York, March 2023
Jay Gottlieb, et al, ed., 10 ans avec le piano du XXe siècle, published by the cité de la musique, 1998, centre de resources musique et dance, which lists Piano Sonata in Level 9 (of 10): “1986-1987. Du beau piano, tout en contrastes entre incisive (traits ou accords rapides) et lyrique. Le style suggère celui de Copland.” ISBN: 2-906460-73-7
Georgette Gouveia, “A Chinese Journal”, Sarah Lawrence Magazine, Fall 2010, p. 15; http://www.slc.edu/magazine/nyc/journal
Margaret Ross Griffel, Operas in English: A Dictionary, Revised Edition; Scarecrow Press Inc., Lanham, Maryland and Plymouth, UK, 2013, p. 496
Steve Groark, “A New Opera A New Way,” The Wisconsin Alumni, Madison, Wisconsin: July/August 1985, pp. 14-15 and 22
Steve Groark and Judy Schmitz, “‘Tight-Rope’ Behind the Scenes,” Dateline, Vol. 18:6, Madison, Wisconsin, October 3, 1985
Charles J. Hall, A Chronicle of American Music 1700-1995, Schirmer Books, An Imprint of Simon & Schuster Macmillan, New York, 1996, pp. 411, 518, 526, 531, 539, 555, 563 and 567
Charles J. Hall, Chronology of Western Classical Music: Volume 2: 1901-2000, Routledge, New York and Great Britain, 2002, p. 1097
Michael Hall, “A Golden Era for New Viola Repertoire,” Journal of the American Viola Society, Volume 32, No. 1, Spring 2016; p. 33
Maurice Hinson, Guide to the Pianist’s Repertoire, Second, Revised and Enlarged Edition, Indiana University Press, Bloomington and Indianapolis, 1987, p. 115
Maurice Hinson and Wesley Robert, The Piano in Chamber Ensemble: An Annotated Guide, Second Edition, Bloomington, 2006, pg. 23, 211, and 651
Allan B. Ho, Music for Piano and Orchestra: The Recorded Repertory, Southern Illinois University, 2019
Ron Keurajian, Collecting Historical Autographs, McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina, 2017, pp. 352-353
Rebecca Hodell Kornick, “Tight-Rope,” Recent American Opera: A Production Guide, Columbia University Press, 352 pp., 1991
Kevin Lynch, “Composer Strikes a Chord,” The Capital Times, Madison, Wisconsin, June 25, 1997
Oscar Macchioni, “The Tango in American Piano Music: Selected Tangos by Thomson, Copland, Barber, Jaggard, Biscardi and Bolcom.” Cultural Expressions in Music Monograph Series, Volume 1, Sang-Hie Lee, Editor, The College Music Society Press, 2010
Franklin Mesa, Opera: An Encyclopedia of World Premieres and Significant Performances, Singers, Composers, Librettists, Arias and Conductors, 1597-2000; McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina, and London, 2007, p. 183+
Carol J. Oja, Editor; foreword by William Schuman; American Music Recordings, A Discography of 20th-Century U. S. Composers;A project of the Institute for Studies in American Music for the Koussevitzky Music Foundation, Inc.; Conservatory of Music, Brooklyn College; 1982; ISBN 0-914678-19-1
Philip M. Parker, ed., Baritone: Webster’s Timeline History, 1613 – 2007, ICON Group International, Inc., San Diego, 2009, pg. 146
“Report on the NFA Commissioned Work for the 1987 Young Artist Competition,” The Flutist Quarterly, Vol. XII, No. 2, Spring, 1987
Bill Robbins, “Called to compose,” The Kenosha News, Kenosha, Wisconsin, June 10, 2008
David Rosen and Claire Brook, ed., Words on Music: Essays in Honor of Andrew Porter on the occasion of his 75th Birthday, ed. Pendrago Press, 2003, pp. 521-522
Juan José Salas R., “La coincidencia del deseo,” Margen (special edition); Lugo, Spain: #19/#20, Año VII/Invierno 2000, p. 41
M. A. Scherer, “UW Opera Comes to Fruition,” The Capital Times, Madison, Wisconsin, February 28, 1985
M. A. Scherer, “Blood, Sweat, Toil, Tears,” The Capital Times, Madison, Wisconsin, May 23, 1985
Richard Dale Sjoerdsma, “New Directions: Chester Biscardi — A Voice for Our Time,” Journal of Singing 64, no. 5, Jacksonville, Florida, May/June 2008, pp. 625-633
Jacob Stockinger, “‘Tight-Rope’ Composer Balances Characters, Music,” Airwaves, Madison, Wisconsin: September 1985, pp. 8-12
Georgina Strickland, Emily Dickinson in Song: A Discography, 1925-2019, 2019
Richard Tythall, A History of the Rome Prize in Music Composition, 1947-2006, American Academy in Rome, January 1, 2007
“The Two Sides of Creativity,” youngarts, a publication of National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, Miami, Florida: Winter 2005, pp. 12-15
Lisa Wlodarski, “Chester Biscardi Takes His Music on the Road,” Sarah Lawrence Magazine, Bronxville, New York: Winter 1996, pp. 19-20
Yamaha Artist Services, “Chester Biscardi,” Accent, New York, New York: Summer 2002, Volume 46, pp. 9-12
Unpublished Articles about Chester Biscardi
Scott Brickman, “Compositional Craft in Chester Biscardi’s Mestiere,” Master’s Thesis, Brandeis University, 1991, 22 pages typescript with musical score examples and analytical charts
Oscar Macchioni, “The Tango in American Piano Music. Selected Tangos by: Thompson, Copland, Barber, Jaggard, Biscardi, and Bolcom,” 2002, University of Arizona, pp. 73-79
Jane Meryll, “The Phenomenology of Composing: An Interview with Chet Biscardi, Composer,” 1994, Sarah Lawrence College, 16 pages typescript with three addenda
Jane Meryll and Margery B. Franklin, “Composers’ Lives and Works: An Interview Study,” 1995, Sarah Lawrence College, 8 pages typescript; first read at a seminar entitled “Musical Spheres: Instructing, Composing and Listening” at the American Psychological Convention for Division 10, Psychology of the Arts, New York City, August 1995
Jared Newman, “After Astor Piazzolla: Contemporary American Tangos in the Yvar Mikhashoff Collection,” 2004, Stony Brook University, 20 pages typescript
Luke David Whitlock, “To Err is Human! To Acknowledge & Discuss the Relationship Between Classical Music and Sexuality? Now That’s Questionable!!” 2000, Dartington College of Arts (England), 34 pages typescript with illustrations
Interviews and Panels
July 18, 2013: interview with Maura Valenti for Oral History of American Music (OHAM)
June 3, 2008: interview with Greg Berg and Richard Sjoerdsma on The Morning Show with Greg Berg on WGTD-Kenosha, Wisconsin. (Listen)
October 11, 1998: 50th birthday interview with Bruce Duffie on WNIB/WNIZ Classical 97-Chicago
March 14, 1995: Celebration of Words and Music: panel discussion with A. R. Ammons, poet, Denise Levertov, poet, Roberto Sierra, composer, Chester Biscardi, composer, Jane Wilkinson, composer, Steven Stucky, composer, James Webster, moderator, and Roald Hoffman, poet and Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. Barnes Hall, Cornell University
April 26, 1988: interview with Jane Meryll. Basis of “The Phenomenology of Composing: An Interview with Chet Biscardi, Composer,” by Jane Meryll, 1994, Sarah Lawrence College, 16 pages typescript with three addenda, as well as “Composers’ Lives and Works: An Interview Study,” by Jane Meryll and Margery B. Franklin, 1995, Sarah Lawrence College, 8 pages typescript, which was first read at a seminar entitled “Musical Spheres: Instructing, Composing and Listening” at the American Psychological Convention for Division 10, Psychology of the Arts, New York City, August 1995.
October 1985: Interview re Tight-Rope, WISC.TV, Channel 3, A CBS Affiliate; Madison, Wisconsin
October, 1985: Broadcast re Tight-Rope, Wisconsin Magazine TV; Madison, Wisconsin
October 6, 1985: Introduction to Tight-Rope from WHA-TV broadcast; Madison, Wisconsin