News: CCU's Denler Receives Emmy Nomination

CCU Music Professor Nominated for Emmy

Colorado Christian University assistant professor of music and two-time Emmy Award winning composer Charles Denler has been nominated for an Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for his most recent work, Wild Mustang Suite. It is Denler's fourth nomination.

"When I composed Wild Mustang Suite, I tried to imagine what it would be like to see these amazing creatures gathering for a midnight race in the mountains. The power, beauty, and freedom of our American mustang became the inspiration for the suite," Denler said. "Being nominated for an Emmy is always a huge honor, and I am incredibly grateful to draw attention to one of America's most precious symbols of freedom and strength."

The suite for piano and orchestra was recorded live with The City of Prague Philharmonic and Grammy Award winning engineer, Jan Holzner. 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.

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 for his score of the Richard Gere film, "Teenage Witness," and for the film, "I Am."

Denler serves as the director of worship arts, 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. The Emmy nominated score can be heard online.