Contact Information
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Phone: (205) 726-4623
Office: Buchanan Hall 214
http://www.saranachou.com/
Education:
B.M., The Juilliard School
M.A., University of Chicago
D.M.A., Eastman School of Music of The University of RochesterBiographical Information
Sarana Chou is Director of Graduate Studies in Music and Assistant Professor of Music at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. She coordinates music theory and musicology areas and teaches composition and music theory courses. She received the Doctor of Musical Arts in composition from Eastman School of Music. She also holds degrees from the University of Chicago (M.A.), and The Juilliard School (B.M.).
Described by The New York Times as "modern and thorny," Dr. Chou’s music is known for its distinct expressiveness and intense musical language. The Birmingham News praised her as "a composer with a convincing point of view and the facility to get her ideas across." As the first prize winner of the 2002 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, Dr. Chou was recently named winner of International Call for Duet at Shanghai Conservatory of Music in China. She was also winner of the Ellen Taaffe Zwilich Prize from International Alliance for Women in Music, and the USA Florida Chapter of the International Society of Contemporary Music (ISCM) competition. Her music has been performed at such venue as Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall, Taiwan National Theater in Taipei, and Akademie der Künste in Berlin, Germany.
Born in Taichung City, Taiwan, Dr. Chou came to the United States in 1998 to pursue composition studies under Samuel Adler, Shulamit Ran, Robert Morris, and David Liptak. She enjoys movies, traveling, international cuisine. She joined Samford University Music faculty in 2008.
Member of:
- ASCAP
College Music Society
New Music USA
Music Teachers National Association
Alabama Music Teachers Association
Birmingham Art Music Alliance Awards:
- Winner - Alabama Music Teacher Association Commission Award. (2012)
Winner - ASCAPlus Award (2008), (2009), (2010), (2011), (2012)
Winner - International Call for Duet, Shanghai Conservatory of Music, China. (2009)
Winner - International Society of Contemporary Music (ISCM) USA Florida Chapter Composition Competition. (2004)
First-prize winner (Leo Kaplan Award) - ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards. (2002)
Ellen Taaffe Zwilich Prize from International Alliance for Women in Music (2002) Publications:
- Discography - 21st Century - Chamber Music of Lansky, Jensen, Chou. (2009)
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