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 […]
Sean Nye to speak at inaugural lecture “Feuchtwanger and Judaism: History, Imagination, Exile”
Musicology faculty member Sean Nye will speak at “Feuchtwanger and Judaism,” the inaugural event of the lecture series “Exile and Resistance: Refugees and Migrants in Literature, History, and Public Affairs,” on Tuesday, Nov. 12. The event, hosted in the USC Libraries Special Collections, will launch Feuchtwanger and Judaism, the sixth volume of the series Feuchtwanger […]
Nate Sloan breaks down sound and structure of Broadway musicals in podcast Switched on Pop
Switched on Pop, a podcast hosted by Musicology faculty member Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding, recently collaborated with the OFF BOOK podcast to bring listeners a “Switched Off Book” episode. The episode includes a breakdown of the sound and structure of a Broadway show as well as an improvised musical written by Scott, Dana […]
Nate Sloan’s podcast named best in music
USC Thornton Musicology faculty member Nate Sloan’s podcast, Switched on Pop, was named one of the best music podcasts by Go Erie. Sloan cohosts the show, which is produced by Vox Media, with songwriter Charlie Harding. The podcast explains what makes pop songs resonate with audiences and how songs interact with culture. This week, Sloan […]
Tim Page quoted in The New York Times
Tim Page, a professor of Musicology at USC Thornton, was quoted in the recent The New York Times article about Zubin Mehta passing the reigns of the Israel Philharmonic to Lahav Shani. Page said that Shani has his work cut out for him, but that the age of the 30-year-old maestro puts him in a position to […]
Malachai Brandy wins two major prizes
USC Thornton Musicology Ph.D. candidate Malachai Bandy recently won two prestigious awards: the Irene Alm Memorial Prize and the Ingolf Dahl Award in Musicology. The Irene Alm Memorial Prize is awarded annually by the Society for Seventeenth-Century Music to the best student presentation or lecture at the society’s spring conference. Established in 1971, the Ingolf […]
Nate Sloan discusses song length on NPR
USC Thornton Musicology faculty member Nate Sloan was recently interviewed on the NPR series Its Been A Minute with Sam Sanders. Sloan discusses how due to the rise of Spotify and other streaming services, artists have an incentive to keep their songs short. “This new way of consuming music tends to incentivize shorter songs because […]
Dana Gioia inducted to Hawthorne Hall of Fame
Dana Gioia, the Judge Widney Professor of Poetry and Public Culture at USC who teaches in USC Thornton’s Arts Leadership and Musicology programs, is a 2019 inductee to the Hawthorne Hall of Fame. A native of Hawthorne, Calif., the renowned poet has received many honors during his career, including being named the Poet Laureate of […]
Tim Page quoted on NPR
Tim Page, Professor of Musicology at USC Thornton, was interviewed by NPR for a piece on the passing of André Previn. Page, a Pulitzer Prize-winning former music critic, explained that jazz was just one of the avenues that the multitalented artist explored. “He really seriously distinguished himself in a lot of different fields. He was […]
Red Hen Press: An Afternoon of Poetry & Performance
Free this Sunday afternoon? USC Distinguished Professor Morten Lauridsen presents his celebrated music with Thornton faculty and alumni alike, including Rod Gilfry, Carin Gilfry, Dana Gioia, and more. The event, Red Hen Press: An Afternoon of Poetry & Performance, will take place at The Broad Stage! The spiritual depth of Morten Lauridsen’s music, paired with […]