Winds & Percussion students shine around the globe
Students of the USC Thornton oboe studio have been excelling internationally in recent months. Masters student Bhavani Kotha was a finalist for the prestigious Berlin Philharmonic Institute and was the only American who advanced to the finals. Kotha was also awarded 2nd Place in the Enkor International Young Musicians Competition in London for the Wind… Continue reading Winds & Percussion students shine around the globe
Masters student receives funding to research and perform Brubeck’s “Gates of Justice”
Daniel Newman-Lessler, a second year student in the USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music master’s program, has received a research grant from The Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific to edit a new edition of Dave Brubeck’s jazz-imbued cantata, The Gates of Justice, which he will later perform. The Gates of Justice dates… Continue reading Masters student receives funding to research and perform Brubeck’s “Gates of Justice”
Pianist Vijay Venkatesh wins Classics Alive Artists competition
USC Thornton Keyboard Studies senior Vijay Venkatesh, a student of Jeffrey Kahane, recently took the Grand Prize at the 2016 Classics Alive Artists competition in Los Angeles. Earlier this year, Venkatesh won 1st Prize in the Frances Walton Competition in Seattle, the Pyrenees Music Society Competition in Pasadena, and the USC Symphony Concerto Competition. Violinist… Continue reading Pianist Vijay Venkatesh wins Classics Alive Artists competition
Thornton musicians sweep Frances Walton Competition in Seattle
Mezzo-soprano and USC Thornton Vocal Arts & Opera graduate student Lesley Baird (MM ’15) was a winner of the 2016 Frances Walton Competition in Seattle, where she was accompanied by pianist and Keyboard Collaborative Arts DMA candidate Jasper Jimenez (MM ’13, GCRT ’15). Since winning the competition in July, the duo has presented several area… Continue reading Thornton musicians sweep Frances Walton Competition in Seattle
Composition student Michael Lee debuts piece for string quartet on new album
“Farewell…,” a work by USC Thornton Composition doctoral candidate Michael Lee, is included on the compilation album Between the Echoes: Contemporary Chamber Works, recently released by Navona Records. Lee’s composition for string quartet, which incorporates shifting rhythms, timbres, and moods, was performed by violinists Vit Muzik and Igor Kopyt, violist Dominika Mužíková, and cellist Petr… Continue reading Composition student Michael Lee debuts piece for string quartet on new album
Organist Thomas Mellan takes first place at San Diego competition
Thomas Mellan, a USC Thornton junior double-majoring in Organ Studies and Composition, recently took first place in the keyboard division of the Musical Merit Foundation’s competition for instrumentalists and vocalists, earning the distinction of Fenstermaker Scholar. Mellan, who also took the top prize in the 2015 competition, performed at the foundation’s 70th Annual Awards Concert… Continue reading Organist Thomas Mellan takes first place at San Diego competition
DMA candidate Irene Apanovitch awarded prestigious CET Fellowship
Irene Apanovitch, a doctoral candidate in the USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music program, has been appointed as a Teaching Assistant Fellow with the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching (CET) for the 2016-17 academic year. CET Fellows take an active role in guiding the work and objectives of Teaching Assistants across the university. In… Continue reading DMA candidate Irene Apanovitch awarded prestigious CET Fellowship
Pianist Tomomi Sato to be featured soloist at LACMA’s Sundays Live
USC Thornton Masters student Tomomi Sato (BM ’15, Keyboard Collaborative Arts) was named the winner of the 2016 Sundays Live audition through the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). She will perform a program featuring the works of Bach, Schumann and Wild on Sunday, September 11. Her performance is part of LACMA’s Sundays Live… Continue reading Pianist Tomomi Sato to be featured soloist at LACMA’s Sundays Live