Denison University announces the 2017-18 American Prize in Composition for instrumental chamber music in the professional division, has been awarded to Professor of Music Ching-chu Hu for his work, titled “The Swash of Water and Red.”
“The Swash of Water and Red,” originally composed for the Ohio-based Sonus Artis String Quartet, contains five different movements, each one conveying a new relationship between water and red. It was recorded by Moscow Conservatory Studio of New Music and is available on Albany Records Spirals: American Music in Moscow.
In an interview with Columbus-based NPR radio station Classical 101, Hu noted, “Water has always been a really powerful image for me, whether it is the gentle mist of rain or the sound of an ocean or how still and how cold ice is. And then the image of red I thought was very nice because it can mean passion, love, anguish, or anger. Both water and red have a variety of definitions, and I like to play with that.”
Denison University Provost Kimberly Coplin commented, “We are thrilled to see Ching-chu’s talent and excellent work recognized with the American Prize. His dedication to music is also apparent in his work with his students, who benefit from his expertise and his genuine care for them and their own work.”
The American Prize is a series of non-profit national competitions in the performing arts providing cash awards, professional adjudication and regional, national and international recognition for the best recorded performances by ensembles and individuals each year in the United States at the professional, college/university, church, community and secondary school levels.