Richard Chiandusse

Richard Chiandusse was born in 1953 in Dumont, New Jersey in the USA. He has had published various arrangements for Marching Band, Woodwind Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, Flute Ensemble: Classical Gold, Susato Dances for Brass Ensemble and Two Renaissance Madrigals for Brass. His latest arrangements are Rui, Rui, Chui and Susato.

Richard Chiandusse received his Bachelor of Music Degree (trumpet performance) from the Manhattan School of Music in 1976, where he was a full scholarship student. He then went on to achieve a Masters Degree in Music in 1977. His trumpet teachers included Mel Broiles and Cecil Collins, both of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Carmine Fornarotto of the New York Philharmonic.

In addition to this, Chiandusse studied conducting with Anton Coppola and Larry Newland (Newland was Zubin Mehta’s assistant conductor at the New York Philharmonic). Richard also studied arranging with Donald Rauscher and Haywood Morris. Furthermore, he studied music history and music theory.

Beginning in 1977, Chiandusse was the also the band director at Dumont High School for 34 years. While at Dumont High School he directed the Wind Ensemble, Concert and Marching Bands, Jazz Band, Brass, Percussion and Woodwind Ensembles and the Saxophone Quartet. He also taught Music History and Music Theory here and was the Musical Director for many productions, including Oklahoma, Oliver and Fiddler On The Roof, to name but a few. He also wrote the curriculum for the school’s music courses.

Chiandusse has also been a conductor and musical director, including with the Glen Rock Pops Orchestra between 1981 and 1986 and Assistant Conductor with the Orange Symphony from 1983 to 1985 and also with St. Pius RC Church, Old Tappan in New Jersey.

Between 1991 and 2012, Chiandusse was an Instructor of Humanities at Fairleigh Dickinson University. In 2009, Richard Chiandusse began teaching music theory and ear-training musicianship at Bergen Community College (a position he holds to this day). In addition to this, he is currently an adjunct faculty member at William Paterson University for the music education department, a position which he has held since 2012.

Richard Chiandusse is also an active adjudicator and clinician. He has adjudicated and given clinics for all types of musical ensembles, such as orchestra and jazz, throughout the United States and Canada. From 2004 to the present day, he is with Rhythms International. Before this, between 1985 and 2004, he was with Classic Festivals and Tours.

Chiandusse holds memberships to various establishments, such as the NAFME (MENC) National Association for Music Education, Music Educators of Bergen County and the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society.