Ching-Chu Hu

Ching-chu Hu (b. 1969) is an American composer, conductor, pianist, and Professor of Music at Denison University. Born in Iowa City and raised in an artistic Chinese family, he learned composition at Yale University (BA degree), Hochschule Für Musik, Freiburg, University of Iowa (MA/MFA), and The University of Michigan (DMA). Among his teachers were composers William Bolcom, Michael Daugherty, William Albright, Leslie Bassett, Bright Sheng, Evan K. Chambers, David Gompper and Richard Hervig, as well as conductors Alasdair Neale, David Stern and James Dixon (2). Hu also studied piano with Stéphane Lemelin and Logan Skelton. As a composer, Ching-chu Hu writes instrumental and vocal music for solo performers and various ensembles, commissioning most of his works for particular musicians and groups. Hu's music had been performed internationally by various prominent collectives, including Kiev Philharmonic Orchestra, The University Of Iowa Symphony Orchestra and Center For New Music, Studio for New Music Ensemble, Brooklyn Rider string quartet, and The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble. Solo artists who gave recitals of his works are violinist Wolfgang David (who premiered Passions with David Gompper on piano at Wigmore Hall), flutist Betty Bang Mather, bassist Robert Black, erhu player Guo Gan, and percussionist Christopher Froh. Hu acted as a composer-in-residence at Piccolo Spoleto Festival, guest composer at the American Music Week Festival in Bulgaria, and composition fellow at Aspen Music Festival, Banff Centre For The Arts and Yaddo Colony in New York.