Charles Bestor received his musical training under Paul Hindemith, Vincent Persichetti and Peter Mennin at the Juilliard School of Music, Yale University and privately with the electronic composer Vladimir Ussachevsky.

Dr. Bestor is a recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Composers Award and has been the winner of the Main Prize in the Musica Nova International Competition of the Czech Republic, the Bourges (France) International ElectroAcoustic Competition and the Omaha Symphony International Orchestral Competition.

His works are published by G. Schirmer, Elkan-Vogel, International Editions, General Music, Dorn Music, the ASUC Publications Series, Media Press, Tamar Music and the College Music Society and recorded on the Albany, Centaur, Capstone, MSR Classics, New Ariel, Living Artist, Serenus, Orion, and SCI labels.

Dr. Bestor is a Fellow of the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, the Ragdale Foundation, the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre, Ireland. He is listed in Marquis’ Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World, the International Who’s Who in Music, the Dictionary of International Biography, Joseph Machlis’ Introduction to Contemporary Music and a number of professional who’s whos.

Dr. Bestor is currently Professor of Music Composition and Theory at the University of Massachusetts.