USC Thornton choral DMA graduates receive new academic appointments
USC Thornton choral & sacred music program alumni Yejee Choi (DMA ‘15) and Shou Ping Liu (DMA ‘20) have received new academic appointments for the fall semester. Choi was appointed as associate professor of Choral Activities at Ehwa Women’s University in Seoul, South Korea. Liu was appointed as assistant professor and director of Choral Activities… Continue reading USC Thornton choral DMA graduates receive new academic appointments
Veronika Krausas curated music playlist for FORT: LA
Veronika Krausas, a USC Thornton Composition department faculty member, curated a music playlist featured in the Friends of Residential Treasures: Los Angeles newsletter for the historic Rodriguez House, designed by master architect R. M. Schindler. FORT: LA’s mission is to showcase the city’s residential treasures with the guidance of expert curators.
Tyler Eschendal releases music video series “ACTIONS”
USC Thornton Composition program alumnus Tyler Eschendal (MM ’18) released the music video series ACTIONS on May 15. The series is split into five movements (ARGUING, ACTING, SINGING, ORDERING, EXPLAINING) in which Eschendal confronts and explores the musicality of stuttering through percussion performances, theatrical monologues and songs.
In Soo Oh receives first prize at Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition
USC Thornton clarinet performance master’s student In Soo Oh won first prize in the classical clarinet division of the Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition. VEA was founded in 2010 to identify emerging, highly proficient clarinetists and saxophonists, and recognize them for their talent. The prize includes a performance at the Music For All convention in Indianapolis… Continue reading In Soo Oh receives first prize at Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition
Michael Abels wins 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Music
Michael Abels (’84), an acclaimed composer and USC Thornton Composition program alumnus, has won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Music for the opera Omar. Co-composed by Rhiannon Giddens, Omar is a musical work that tells the story of enslaved people brought to North America from Muslim countries. The opera premiered on May 27 at the… Continue reading Michael Abels wins 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Music
Bill Kanengiser and Alexander Strings Quartet release British rock tribute album “British Invasion”
Classical guitarist and USC Thornton faculty member Bill Kanengiser has collaborated with the Alexander String Quartet for the album “British Invasion,” released on April 7. A tribute to British rock, the album features adaptations of music by Sting, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Elizabethan lutenist John Dowland, re-cast and re-imagined by contemporary composers Duśan Bogdanović,… Continue reading Bill Kanengiser and Alexander Strings Quartet release British rock tribute album “British Invasion”
Rixiang Huang selected as Steinway Artist
Lauded pianist and USC Thornton keyboard studies alumnus Rixiang Huang (DMA ‘23) has been selected as a Steinway Artist. He joins a community of more than 1,600 acclaimed artists affiliated with the piano company. In 2021, Huang won first place at the 12th Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford and Los Angeles International Liszt Piano… Continue reading Rixiang Huang selected as Steinway Artist
Cellist Annie Jacobs-Perkins wins Pierre Fournier Award
Cellist and USC Thornton alumna Annie Jacobs-Perkins (’18) won the 2023 Pierre Fournier Award on May 4 with her performances of Elliott Carter and Fauré, accompanied on the piano by Dina Ivanova. As this year’s winner, she will receive a recital at London’s Wigmore Hall, a CD recording on the Champs Hill label, recitals with… Continue reading Cellist Annie Jacobs-Perkins wins Pierre Fournier Award
2022-2023 Year in Review
Looking back on a remarkable year at USC Thornton.
Kira Levin and Kenton Luck announced as winners of DownBeat’s 46th Annual Student Music Awards
USC Thornton students were announced as winners of the 46th Annual Student Music Awards in the June issue of DownBeat magazine. Kira Levin, undergraduate student of Jazz Studies faculty member Aarón Serfaty, won Best Vocal Jazz Soloist. Kenton Luck, graduate student of Jazz Studies faculty member Bob Mintzer, won Best Original Composition — Large Ensemble… Continue reading Kira Levin and Kenton Luck announced as winners of DownBeat’s 46th Annual Student Music Awards