Student Accomplishments from the 2017-2018 Academic Year


Bokyung Byun wins prestigious JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition

June 21, 2018

Classical Guitarist and USC Thornton doctoral candidate Bokyung Byun has won first place and Musician’s Choice in the JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition, one of the world’s top events for guitarists. The biennial competition, hosted by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra of New York state, featured eight semi-finalists in performance with the orchestra under music… Continue reading Bokyung Byun wins prestigious JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition


Yoon Joo Hwang appointed to University of Central Florida faculty

March 28, 2018

Bassoonist and USC Thornton graduate student Yoon Joo Hwang was recently appointed Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) at the University of Central Florida, where she will begin teaching in the fall.


Daniel Linder earns Graduate Student Government research award

March 21, 2018

Daniel Linder, a DMA candidate in USC Thornton’s Keyboard Studies program, was recently awarded 1st Prize in the Humanities division of the USC Graduate Student Government’s 10th annual Research Symposium awards. Linder’s research explored the musical language of 20th Century French composer Maurice Ohana, focusing on his Six Études d’Interprétation (1981-82). Under the guidance of… Continue reading Daniel Linder earns Graduate Student Government research award


Eric Abramovitz named associate principal/Eb clarinetist of the Toronto Symphony

March 16, 2018

Clarinetist Eric Abramovitz, a graduate student of USC Thornton Winds & Percussion faculty member Yehuda Gilad, was recently named associate principal/Eb clarinetist of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. This new appointment comes less than a year after he won a position with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and took 1st prize for Classical Clarinet at the 2017… Continue reading Eric Abramovitz named associate principal/Eb clarinetist of the Toronto Symphony


Alvin Liang wins USC Thornton 2018 Kanter Award

February 20, 2018

USC Thornton Music Industry senior Alvin Liang has been selected as a recipient for the USC Thornton 2018 Kanter Award, taking home $7,250. He previously won the USC Stevens Award with his EventAll app, which he describes as “The WordPress of the event-planning world.” The Kanter Endowed Music Industry Project Fund provides upper-level students with… Continue reading Alvin Liang wins USC Thornton 2018 Kanter Award


Patrick O’Malley wins Sioux City’s Composer of the Year Award

January 31, 2018

Patrick O’Malley (MM ’15), a doctoral candidate in the USC Thornton Composition program, was recently selected as the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra’s Composer of the Year for 2018. He earned the title with Loneliness in a Beautiful Place, a string work that also won the 2017 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award. O’Malley will travel… Continue reading Patrick O’Malley wins Sioux City’s Composer of the Year Award


Clarinetists earn prizes at the Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition

January 19, 2018

Two USC Thornton clarinet students recently took prizes in the 2018 Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition. Masters candidate Ryan Toher earned 1st Prize in Classical Clarinet. This month, Toher will also participate in the New York Philharmonic Global Academy Fellowship Program traveling to New York City for an intensive ten days of training, rehearsal, and performance… Continue reading Clarinetists earn prizes at the Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition


Thornton students sweep video performance competition

November 14, 2017

Students from USC Thornton’s Classical Division have swept the first James Ramos International Video Competition, a joint venture of the California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT) and Social Media Works. Recognizing that Youtube and Facebook have become important video platforms for musicians to audition and to share their artistry with the world, the competition… Continue reading Thornton students sweep video performance competition


DMA candidate Marylin Winkle wins award at the 12th annual SCENIES

October 23, 2017

Marylin Winkle, a DMA candidate in the USC Thornton Early Music Performance program, has received a “Scenie” award in the category of Outstanding Original Music & Live Performance for her work on the Skylight Theatre’s production of Lord of the Underworld’s Home for Unwed Mothers. Winkle composed and performed cello interludes for the play, with… Continue reading DMA candidate Marylin Winkle wins award at the 12th annual SCENIES


Thomas Kolakowski wins Snare Drum Competition

September 20, 2017

Thomas Kolakowski, a USC Thornton master’s student in percussion, recently won the 10th Annual Modern Snare Drum Competition in Cleveland, Ohio. Kolakowski beat out a large field to win the competition, which takes place every year at the Cleveland Institute of Music and is sponsored by Pearl Drums. The organizers described it as “another inspiring… Continue reading Thomas Kolakowski wins Snare Drum Competition