"If you feel music is your destiny and it comes straight from your heart, then you should go for it", says Duke classical music composer Chiayu Hsu. A blend of talent coupled with the Duke support has taken Chiayu and her musical compositions onto the world stage and earned her several honors.
A Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Music, Chiayu last month competed with composers from around the world in the Dilettante Digital Composer-in-Residence competition. She was a finalist with her composition "Zhi'. In 2006 her piece "Huan" for solo harp had won the Composition Contest for the seventh USA International Harp Competition.
In an era where music is everywhere from elevators to hand-held devices, new classical music still has trouble getting space to be heard. Chiayu, however, says classical music composition is as strong as ever.
"Every field is challenging in its own way," she said. "Classical music is not as strong as it used to be in the previous century where it was the major source of entertainment for people. But now it is again getting better. People do realize that this is different and consider on how to develop and adapt it in their environment."
In today's digital era, marketing is a very important key to promote classical music, she said, and Chiayu pays attention to how her compositions reach the audience. She has her own website where her digitized compositions are uploaded.
"Although CD's have been a traditional way, these days' iTunes and the Internet can be used to encourage people to appreciate classical music." Chiayu said.
One of the exciting developments in the field is exploring how digital technology can be used in classical music, she said. "Using a computer to compose music and combining it with acoustic instruments is a very different process and it will be one of my future projects," she said.
Chiayu is completing her Ph.D. and is preparing to leave Duke. She said the music department is like a family to her.
"I really enjoyed working with the faculty here, especially my adviser, Stephen Jaffe, who taught me a lot. It was not only about music but also on how to approach life. Here, we all have a good time playing music together, attending composer seminars and studying musicology."
"I really had a very good experience here and thinking of leaving Duke makes me sad. I have grown a lot like a musician and a person," she said.
Her next effort will be writing a string quartet for Ciompi Quartet and a horn concerto for the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz.