The Denison University music department will present two concerts of music composed by students, the first concert is at 8 p.m. on Wednesday (April 16) in Burke Recital Hall, the second on April 23.

Eight student composers will have their work showcased by fellow classmates and musicians. "There is great variety in the styles of music presented," says Assistant Professor Ching-chu Hu, organizer of the concert. "The students have worked very hard this year and it will show with their

The concert varies from a bluegrass tune by senior Brock Babcock to a soothing string quartet by Emily Gonzales. Senior Meghan Coil has written a fiddle tune called "High Heels" and plays with a "rocky rhythm." First-year student Ethan McGory has written a string trio inspired by "The Tao of Pooh" while Jared Thompson has written two jazz combo pieces, one of which was inspired by Miles Davies and Gil Evans.

First year student Ethan McGory has written a string trio inspired by The Tao of Pooh while Jared Thompson has written two jazz combo pieces, one of which was inspired by Miles Davies and Gil Evans.

Michael Akhbari has written his first composition, an untitled solo piano work, which he will perform. Junior Michael Berlin has written a string quartet with three contrasting sections. His work is called, The Journey of E.S. and will be performed by Berlin as well as seniors Meghan Coil, Amanda Reahard, and Jonathan Seigel.

Other performers include Emily Hickman, Bethany Hurst, Aaron Fuleki, Chris Seigel, Andy Juechter, Seth Rogers, Lindsay Brown, Jeff Nibert, Emily Culp, Mike Ward, and Assistant Professor Andrew Carlson.

Junior Emily Baker will also be performing tonight in two forms, as a singer in Brock Babcock's bluegrass tune In Your Arms, as well as the voice you will hear that has been manipulated by Steve Mokris in his work Vaikka Voisin, a setting of a Finnish poem. He recorded Emily's voice and "played with it" so that there are, in his words, "a chorus of Emilys."

Ching-chu Hu joined Denison University in 2000. He teaches composition and theory and is also a conductor. He earned his bachelor's degree from Yale University, his master of arts and master of fine arts degrees from the University of Iowa and his doctorate from the University of Michigan. Recently, his music was performed by the Charleston Symphony Orchestra at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C., where he served as resident composer. In addition, his music was recently performed in Sofia, Bulgaria, Moscow, and London.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

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