Eight Denison students will present the compositions that they have been working on this semester with Assistant Professor of Music Ching-chu Hu in the concert. The compositions will be performed by some of the student composers as well as their colleagues from various music ensembles.

The students who composed pieces for the concert are: Max Marshall (Chicago), Milner Fuller (Birmingham, Ala.), Alexandra Kirkilis (Dripping Springs, Texas), Jordan Fehr (University Heights), Christopher Penny (Alliance), Ethan McGory (Westerville), Brian Carsten (Granville), Aaron Blain (Columbus) and Christopher Beier (Ann Arbor, Mich.).

Ching-chu Hu

"I'm very excited about this concert, as there are many 'new' student composers who have begun their composition lessons for the first time this semester," says Hu. "Their works range from string ensembles to jazz-infused pieces, from electronic works to songs." Hu also notes that many of the pieces are inspired by political events both current and throughout history.

Marshall, a sophomore, has written a piece entitled "Requiem for the Man in the Yellow Hat." The music of New York saxophonist Tim Berne, and particularly his mid-90s band, Bloodcount, inspired the piece. Their music often features hard rock, odd-time grooves with dissonant, angular melodies on top combined with free improvisation. Marshall says that the piece asks the question "Now that the man in the yellow hat isn't around, who will protect curious George from getting himself and America into even more trouble?" Marshall also has composed "Sun Maiden" for this concert.

Penny's composition was inspired by a visit to the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C., and is entitled "Portrait of a Holocaust Survivor." The piece follows the journey of a Holocaust survivor through his days hiding in a Warsaw Ghetto, captivity in Auschwitz, and finally his liberation.

"A Swift Move" by Carsten is a work in three movements- Kerry, Bush, and Third Parties. It proposes to reflect not only on the pleasant and consonant messages of the candidates but also the manipulated messages of Third Parties and mass media.

The other compositions are: "Quartettsatz in C Minor" by Fuller, "Separation Anxiety" by Kirkilis, "Strata" by Fehr, "S.O.S." by McGory, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" by Beier, and "Melody for Violin" by Aaron Blain.

Musicians playing the new works include: on violin, Christina Niro, Emily Hickman, Jenna Lawson, Jordan Mora, Matthew Morrell, Noah Gall, Seda Gokoglu, and Alexandra Wilson; on viola, Abby Katz, Abby Bacon, and Carl McCoy; on cello, Daniel Strawser and Bethany Hurst; on tenor saxophone, Matt Hoffman; on alto saxophone, Eric Spengler; on baritone saxophone, Benjamin Pogany; on guitar, Doug Sours; on bass, Brett Ferguson; on drums, Matt Chvatal; on trumpet, David Ottum; on clarinet, Stephanie Crane; and on piano, Marry Ann Miller. Composers Marshall and Beier will play the piano, Fehr will play the guitar, and Penny will play the cello.

Assistant Professor Hu earned degrees from Yale University, the University of Iowa, and the University of Michigan. He is active both as a composer and as a performer of new music and has received both composition and orchestral conducting degrees. He has performed at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C., and the Alternativa Festival in Moscow, as well as in England, Austria, and venues across the United States.

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