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
Eight Thornton students and alumni win at 2023 Beverly Hills National Auditions
Eight USC Thornton students and alumni were announced as winners of the 2023 Beverly Hills National Auditions (BHNA). BHNA winners will receive performance opportunities at a series of over 40 concerts across Southern California, including Music in the Mansion Festival on the third week of April 2024. Of the 11 winners, eight are from USC… Continue reading Eight Thornton students and alumni win at 2023 Beverly Hills National Auditions
Composer Peter Boyer commissioned to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III
Composer and USC Thornton Screen Scoring program alumnus Peter Boyer (GCRT ’96) was commissioned to create a new work for the Coronation of King Charles III. Boyer’s new work, titled Today We Ask, was presented on May 3 as part of a Coronation Celebration at St. Paul’s Church, Covent Garden in London. The commission comes… Continue reading Composer Peter Boyer commissioned to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III
Celine Chen to be featured on NPR program “From the Top”
Celine Chen, a USC Thornton Keyboard Studies student of Bernadene Blaha, will be featured on NPR’s “From the Top,” a program that documents performances and personal stories of classically-trained young musicians from across the country. Chen will perform Stephen Hough’s Fanfare Toccata. The episode airs nationally across NPR stations during the week of May 8.… Continue reading Celine Chen to be featured on NPR program “From the Top”
Argus Quartet participates in CSULB’s Carpenter Center Arts for Life program
On the week of March 20, the Argus Quartet visited California State University Long Beach’s Carpenter Center to participate in the Arts for Life program, which provides accessible arts activities in the Carpenter Center area. The Argus Quartet, founded by USC Thornton alumna Clara Kim (DMA ‘15), includes violinist Giancarlo Latta, violist Maren Rothfritz and… Continue reading Argus Quartet participates in CSULB’s Carpenter Center Arts for Life program
Clarence Penn
Clarence Penn, a highly accomplished jazz drummer, is renowned for his remarkable talents in music composition, production and education. Since his arrival in New York City in 1991, Penn has collaborated with an impressive list of A-list artists, including Ellis and Wynton Marsalis, Maria Schneider, Betty Carter, Dianne Reeves, Michael Brecker and Fourplay, among others.… Continue reading Clarence Penn
Derrick Lawrence
Derrick Lawrence, baritone, has sung roles on the stages of Philadelphia Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Dallas Opera, Charlotte Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Piedmont Opera, Opera North, Zurich Opera House, Budapest, Wiesbaden, Düsseldorf, The Royal Danish Opera, Stuttgart, Luzern, Aachen, Freiburg, Statts Opera Berlin, Kaiserslautern, La Monnaie, Teatro Massimo, Opera Lyon and National Theater Brünn. Lawrence… Continue reading Derrick Lawrence