Faculty Spotlight: Charles Denler

Meet Charles Denler

Degrees and Experience
  • Four-time Emmy Award winning composer for film, television, and the concert stage with multiple film festival gold medals, composing for National Geographic, History Channel, PBS, Disney, Honda, Oprah, Dateline, Coca Cola, and many feature films
  • Denler has composed works for film and television, working with actors such as Richard Gere, Helen Mirren, Burt Reynolds, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Susan Sarandon, Richard Dreyfuss, and artists such as Creed, Paul Simon, and Cyndi Lauper
  • M.A. (Colorado Christian University)

Website: www.charlesdenler.com

Biography and Professional Achievements

Critics have called his music "a national treasure." With over two hundred film and television scores and thousands of concerts to his credit, Charles David Denler's EMMY AWARD winning fusion of Classical and Modern Composition can be heard all over the world.

Charles received critical acclaim by winning an EMMY in 2004 for his work on "Bentley Creek" and went on to receive his second EMMY in 2005 for his score to "Beyond the Medal of Honor" and a third EMMY in 2019 for his "Wild Mustang Suite." In 2010 Charles was awarded the Jury Choice GOLD MEDAL for his score to the Richard Gere film, "Teenage Witness," and a second GOLD MEDAL for the film, "I AM," at the Park City Film Music Festival. In 2011 Charles received the Ribaut Award for Excellence In Music For Film at the Beaufort International Film Festival and in 2015 he was given a GOLD MEDAL at the Houston World Fest for his symphony, "Portraits of Colorado." His album, "Moment At Dawn", won a GOLD MEDAL at the 2016 Global Music Awards and his orchestral suite, "One Drop Became An Ocean", became a 2017 chart topping worldwide radio hit staying in the Top 10 for twelve consecutive weeks. His album, "Wild Mustang Suite", has had over 12 million plays on SoundCloud and received the GOLD MEDAL at the 2018 Global Music Awards for Best Neoclassical Album. In 2022 Charles won his fourth EMMY and a One World Music Radio Award for his orchestral suite, "Portraits In Season."

Charles' music has been featured with artists such as Creed, Cyndi Lauper, and Paul Simon. He has been published with six American Music Company CDs, and six Reserve Music CDs. His American Symphony No. 1 is published on the Reference Recordings Label. Charles has also published three score books, "The Orchestra", "The Unspoken Narrative," and "Moment At Dawn."

Films and programs featuring Charles' music include Disney, National Geographic, The History Channel, PBS, main themes for the STARZ! Kids' Television Network, music for Animal Planet, Discovery, Honda, Coca Cola, Oprah, American Chopper, Dirty Jobs, Dateline, NBC, NASA, the Colorado Rockies, the New York Yankees, and many feature films. Actors featured in Charles' films include Richard Gere, Burt Reynolds, Helen Mirren, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Robert Duvall, Susan Sarandon, Daryl Hannah, Richard Dreyfuss, Steve Guttenberg, Louis Gossett Jr., Michael Madsen, Charles Durning, and many others.

Concert works include "PORTRAITS OF COLORADO, An American Symphony No. 1," a commission by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, and "PORTRAITS IN SEASON, Suite for Piano & Orchestra," premiered with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra. Charles has also conducted and played piano with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. 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. Charles conducted the ensemble. According to The Denver Post, his music helped to bring an estimated 1.8 billion dollars of new tourism to Colorado through the use of his symphony in tourism commercials. Charles has lectured at film festivals and universities all across the United States. He is also a professor, teaching composition, music theory, and music production.

Charles' accomplishments have been featured in many articles including Keyboard Magazine, MIX Magazine, Recording Magazine, The Denver Post, WORLD Magazine, 5280 Magazine, The Denver Business Journal, River East Magazine, The Indie Collaborative, Low Country Weekly, and POST Magazine.