CCU's Charles Denler Wins Emmy
Colorado Christian University assistant professor of music Charles Denler has won an Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his hit compilation, Wild Mustang Suite. It is Denler’s third Emmy win in four nominations.
"I really wasn't thinking that a win was going to happen,” Denler said. “I actually tried to convince my wife that we didn’t need to attend, but she really pushed me to go to the Gala. It is always an honor and a huge blessing to win.”
The album went to No. 1 three times on the Radio Spin Charts, has received more than 12 million plays, and won the Gold Medal for Best Neo Classical Album at the 2019 Global Music Awards. The suite for piano and orchestra was recorded live with The City of Prague Philharmonic and Grammy Award-winning engineer, Jan Holzner.
"One of the most important tenets of the School of Music at CCU is to have an impact on the arts and culture in the world, not just in our community of faith,” said Steven Taylor, dean of the School of Music. “We seek to graduate students who will themselves have an impact in the world. Charles Denler does just that through his work in film scoring and composition.”
Denler is known globally for his fusion of classical and modern composition. His music has been featured with artists such as Creed, Cyndi Lauper, and Paul Simon. He has won several gold medals, including from the Park City Film Music Festival, the Houston World Fest, and the Global Music Awards. In 2014, he was asked to compose a new theme for the Colorado Rockies baseball team. The music was recorded at Boettcher Concert Hall with the Colorado Symphony and premiered live at Coors Field on opening day.
"The School of Music is grateful for Charles’ dedication to his art, and his desire to use that for the Kingdom,” Taylor said. “We are grateful that along with his own giftedness, he has been called to share that excellence with our students at CCU.”
Denler serves as the director of composition and music production and engineering at CCU. In addition to his work with the University, Denler has won Emmys for PBS films “Bentley Creek” in 2004 and “Beyond The Medal of Honor” in 2005. He has composed music for nearly 200 films.
"God has used the Emmys to really further my career as a composer. I have had some wonderful projects proposed to me soon after the win was announced,” Denler said. “The Emmy is a means to reach deeper and further into the world to which I am called — and the statue looks really great on my piano!”
The Emmy-winning score can be heard online.