
Nate Sloan’s podcast listed as one of the best music podcasts by The Guardian
The Guardian included Switched on Pop, a podcast created by USC Thornton Musicology program faculty member Nate Sloan, on its list of the five best podcasts for music obsessives. Sloan co-hosts the podcast with songwriter Charlie Harding. In each episode, the duo breaks down popular songs with special guests. The podcast, which debuted in 2014,… Continue reading Nate Sloan’s podcast listed as one of the best music podcasts by The Guardian

Sean Nye publishes new book
USC Thornton Musicology program faculty member Sean Nye published Modeselektor’s Happy Birthday! on Feb. 24. The book explores the histories of Berlin techno, European rave culture and electronic music through the lens of Modeselektor’s 2007 album Happy Birthday! Nye will present his work as part of a virtual panel on Thursday, March 3. The panel… Continue reading Sean Nye publishes new book

Nate Sloan talks Mariah Carey’s Christmas hit with NBC News
Nate Sloan, a Thornton Musicology program faculty member, was recently quoted in a NBC News article about the popularity of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Sloan said, “Charts are dominated by the newest hit single, and the appetite for new music is the drive for climbing the charts — the only… Continue reading Nate Sloan talks Mariah Carey’s Christmas hit with NBC News

Virginia Stewart and William Coppola to present papers at Mayday Colloquium/LGBTQ Studies and Music Education Symposium
Virginia Stewart, a doctoral student in the Music Teaching & Learning program, will present a paper entitled “Finding Social Justice with the Gay Mens Chorus of Los Angles during the Pandemic” at the 32nd Mayday Colloquium/4th LGBTQ Studies and Music Education Symposium at the end of the month. The virtual symposium will take place June… Continue reading Virginia Stewart and William Coppola to present papers at Mayday Colloquium/LGBTQ Studies and Music Education Symposium

Garrett McQueen’s “Trilloquy” podcast featured in the New York Times
“Trilloquy,” a podcast hosted by USC Thornton alum Garrett McQueen (MM ‘12) and Scott Blankenship was featured in a New York Times article about the recent flourishing of classical music podcasts.

Nate Sloan highlighted in The New Yorker and The New York Times
USC Thornton faculty member Nate Sloan was recently highlighted in The New Yorker and The New York Times. Acclaimed music critic Alex Ross wrote a glowing review of “Switched On Pop,” the podcast Sloan co-hosts with songwriter Charlie Harding, in The New Yorker. In his review, he discussed how Sloan and Harding offer music appreciation… Continue reading Nate Sloan highlighted in The New Yorker and The New York Times

Musicology professor Lisa Cooper Vest publishes new book
Lisa Cooper Vest, a professor of Musicology at USC Thornton, recently published her book, “Awangarda: Tradition and Modernity in Postwar Polish Music,” with the University of California Press. The book explores how postwar Polish composers, scholars and political leaders created an avant-garde musical tradition. Vest frames this tradition in contrast to its counterparts in Western… Continue reading Musicology professor Lisa Cooper Vest publishes new book

Nate Sloan quoted in USA Today
Musicology faculty member Nate Sloan was recently quoted in a USA Today article about love songs for every season of the year. Sloan said that “Love is the number one topic of popular music. Every love song has been written, pretty much, and yet there are new emotions to explore. Music is meant to move… Continue reading Nate Sloan quoted in USA Today

Nate Sloan celebrates Beethoven’s 5th Symphony with special Switched on Pop series
Switched on Pop, a podcast hosted by Musicology professor Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Hardin, is releasing “The 5th,” a four-part series about Beethoven’s 5th symphony featuring the New York Philharmonic. The series, presented in partnership with Vox Media, will dissect the symphony movement by movement and explore its context, legacy, and meaning. The first… Continue reading Nate Sloan celebrates Beethoven’s 5th Symphony with special Switched on Pop series

Nate Sloan to release new book about mechanics of popular music
Popular music scholar and Musicology faculty member Nate Sloan will release a new book, “How Popular Music Works, and Why It Matters,” on Dec. 13, co-authored with songwriter and podcasting partner Charlie Harding. The pair host the popular podcast “Switched on Pop,” which, like their forthcoming book, makes pop music history accessible and deconstructs the… Continue reading Nate Sloan to release new book about mechanics of popular music