Author Archive


Gabriel Martins with cello

Gabriel Martins joins Opus 3 Artists roster

May 4, 2022

USC Thornton Strings Department alum Gabriel Martins (’19) has signed to independent artist management firm Opus 3 Artists. Martins is an acclaimed cellist who has been recognized for his artistry in many competitions including the 2020 Sphinx Competition, the David Popper International Cello Competition and the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians. Earlier this year,… Continue reading Gabriel Martins joins Opus 3 Artists roster


Photo of Juan Pablo Contreras

Juan Pablo Contreras premieres “MeChicano” with the Las Vegas Philharmonic

May 3, 2022

Alumnus Juan Pablo Contreras (DMA ’21) premieres MeChicano, a piece honoring Mexican-American communities, with the Las Vegas Philharmonic on May 7. Contreras is one of the seven composers selected by New Music USA’s Amplifying Voices, a program supporting composers of underrepresented backgrounds. His work was co-commisisioned by the Las Vegas Philharmonic, the California Symphony, the… Continue reading Juan Pablo Contreras premieres “MeChicano” with the Las Vegas Philharmonic


Photo of Jeanine Cowen

Jeanine Cowen

May 2, 2022

Jeanine Cowen is an active media composer and educator. She has previously served as a professor in the game and interactive media scoring area at Berklee College of Music. She is an active freelance composer, music producer and sound designer focusing primarily on the intersection of audio and visual medias, with particular interest in the… Continue reading Jeanine Cowen


Portrait of Lindsay Wolfington

Lindsay Wolfington wins at 2022 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards

April 29, 2022

USC Thornton Music Industry program faculty member Lindsay Wolfington and fellow music supervisor Laura Webb won the award for Best Music Supervision – Television Movie at the 2022 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards for their work on To All the Boys: Always and Forever. This is the second year in a row that the duo… Continue reading Lindsay Wolfington wins at 2022 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards


Photograph of Paul Anka

Paul Anka speaks to students at USC Thornton’s Popular Music Forum

April 28, 2022

Legendary songwriter Paul Anka spoke to students at USC Thornton’s Popular Music Forum on April 22 during a Master Session put on by USC Thornton and the Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF). Popular Music Program Chair and SHOF board member Patrice Rushen moderated the conversation. During the session, Anka discussed how he got started in… Continue reading Paul Anka speaks to students at USC Thornton’s Popular Music Forum


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


Photo of Professor Beatriz Ilari

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


Photo of Candice D. Mattio

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


Photo of Andrew Norman

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.