Author Archive


Photo of Austin Wintory

Austin Wintory celebrates ten years of video game Journey

April 28, 2022

Composer and USC Thornton Composition program alum Austin Wintory (’07) was interviewed by Screen Rant and NME about the ten-year anniversary of the popular video game Journey. Wintory composed the score for the game, which came out in 2012. The Journey score debuted higher on the Billboard charts than any original score in gaming history,… Continue reading Austin Wintory celebrates ten years of video game Journey


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USC Thornton faculty Beatriz Ilari and Veronika Krausas receive Advancing Scholarship awards

April 26, 2022

USC Thornton faculty members Veronika Krausas and Beatriz Illari were awarded by Advancing Scholarship in the Humanities and Social Sciences (ASHSS). The ASHSS research and creative project grants program, an initiative of the USC Office of the Provost, promotes the development of innovative and influential scholarly and creative output in the arts, humanities and humanistic… Continue reading USC Thornton faculty Beatriz Ilari and Veronika Krausas receive Advancing Scholarship awards


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Candice D. Mattio

April 25, 2022

Dr. Candice D. Mattio’s research focuses on the intersections of musical creativity, social issues in contemporary and popular music education, and technology-based music teaching and learning contexts. Her work has been presented on the international, national, and regional stages and awarded by the Conklin Forum on Social Justice in Music Teacher Education and the Bulletin… Continue reading Candice D. Mattio


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LA Phil performs piece by alumnus and former Thornton Composition program faculty member Andrew Norman

April 22, 2022

The LA Phil will perform Play: Level 1, a work by USC Thornton alumnus and former composition program faculty member Andrew Norman, on April 23 and 24. This pair of concerts is part of the LA Phil’s Gen X Festival, a series that takes a “multidisciplinary, multi-genre look at the slackers, hackers and latch-key kids… Continue reading LA Phil performs piece by alumnus and former Thornton Composition program faculty member Andrew Norman


Veronika Krausas

Veronika Krausas composition featured in LA Phil’s Voices of a Generation concert

April 20, 2022

A work by USC Thornton Composition faculty member Veronika Krausas, Caryatids, will be performed by the LA Phil on April 22 during its Voices of a Generation concert. Krausas also works as a pre-concert lecturer and interviewer at the LA Phil and serves on the advisory boards of Jacaranda Music and People Inside Electronics.


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Liam Kevany co-writes, co-produces and plays on Jackson Wang’s “Blow”

April 19, 2022

USC Thornton Studio Guitar program alumnus Liam Kevany (’15) co-wrote, co-produced and played bass on 88rising artist Jackson Wang’s newest single, “Blow.” In the first week since its premiere, the music video for the song garnered over 9 million views. Kevany, who studied studio and jazz guitar at USC Thornton, currently serves as Noah Cyrus’… Continue reading Liam Kevany co-writes, co-produces and plays on Jackson Wang’s “Blow”


Portrait of Dean Robert Cutietta

April 12: Meet the New Faculty: Seth Parker Woods

April 18, 2022

Dear Thornton Community, USC Thornton is introducing a number of exceptional new faculty members to the school this semester, and I’d like to introduce acclaimed cellist Dr. Seth Parker Woods who joins the faculty as an assistant professor of practice, string chamber music and cello. A recipient of the 2022 Chamber Music America Michael Jaffee… Continue reading April 12: Meet the New Faculty: Seth Parker Woods


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Los Angeles Guitar Quartet releases Opalescent

April 18, 2022

The GRAMMY Award-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, which features USC Thornton faculty members William Kanengiser and Scott Tennant, USC Thornton alumnus Matthew Greif (MM ’92) and John Dearman, has released its fourteenth album, Opalescent. This release marks the group’s 40th anniversary as a touring ensemble. All of the songs on the album were recorded at… Continue reading Los Angeles Guitar Quartet releases Opalescent


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Alexis Marsh and Samuel Jones premiere “The Unknown Country” at SXSW

April 15, 2022

USC Thornton Screen Scoring alumni and composing duo Alexis Marsh and Samuel Jones (both GC ’10) premiered their score for The Unknown Country on March 13 at SXSW. The film was directed by Morrissa Maltz, a common collaborator of the duo. BMI interviewed Marsh and Jones about their experience with this movie, as well as… Continue reading Alexis Marsh and Samuel Jones premiere “The Unknown Country” at SXSW


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Ennis Harris receives 2022 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award

April 14, 2022

Ennis Harris, a master’s student in the USC Thornton Jazz Studies Department, won a 2022 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award. This award is given to young jazz composers up to the age of 30 through a partnership between the ASCAP Foundation and The Herb Alpert Foundation. Each recipient is selected through a juried national… Continue reading Ennis Harris receives 2022 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award