Screen Scoring tops ranking in The Hollywood Reporter for second year
USC Thornton’s Screen Scoring program has once again topped The Hollywood Reporter’s annual poll of the “Top 25 Music Schools for Composing for Film and TV.” Last year, the report placed Thornton at #1. This year, the school has swapped positions with last year’s #2, Julliard, noting, “Running virtually neck-and-neck with Juilliard is USC.” “It’s […]
Cali Wang wins BMI Pete Carpenter Fellowship
Composer and sound artist Cali Wang (MM ’18), an alumna of USC Thornton’s Screen Scoring program, was recently announced as the winner of the BMI Foundation’s 2018 Pete Carpenter Fellowship for her composition, New to the World. The annual fellowship awards an aspiring film, television and video composer with a cash stipend and intensive mentorship […]
Alumnus Robert Lydecker scores second season of “Iron Fist”
Composer and USC Thornton alumnus Robert Lydecker (BM ’08 Composition, GCRT ’09 Film Scoring), scored the second season of the Netlix original series Iron Fist, which premiered September 7th. Lydecker also co-scored two seasons of ABC’s Designated Survivor with composer Sean Callery, and co-composed the score for the 2017 film XXX: Return of Xander Cage […]
Film scoring alumni selected for Universal Film Music Composer Initiative
Four USC Thornton film scoring alumni – George Shaw (BM ’04, Film Scoring), Jermaine Stegall (GCRT ’04, SMPTV), Layla Minoui (GCRT ’08, SMPTV), and Jongnic Bontemps (GCRT ’12, SMPTV) – have been selected as finalists for the Universal Film Music Composer Initiative, which aims to nurture up-and-coming screen composers. As noted in the Hollywood Reporter, […]
BMI to honor Laura Karpman with Champion Award
Laura Karpman, composer and USC Thornton Screen Scoring faculty member, will receive the BMI Champion Award for her commitment to supporting fellow media composers through The Alliance of Women Film Composers. Karpman, who founded the organization in 2014, has received four Emmy Awards and most recently composed for the Amazon Prime series Mozart in the […]
Jon Burlingame chats about Oscar-nominated songs
USC Thornton Screen Scoring faculty member Jon Burlingame was recently interviewed for the NPR radio program Here & Now, hosted by WBUR’s Jeremy Hobson, in advance of the 90th annual Academy Awards. Burlingame spoke about the five songs nominated for Best Original Song, including “Remember Me” from the animated film Coco, which took the award […]
Laura Karpman contributes to “Mozart in the Jungle”
Laura Karpman, a noted TV/film composer and member of the USC Thornton Screen Scoring faculty, was recently profiled by KPCC’s “The Frame” on her musical contributions to the Amazon Prime series Mozart in the Jungle. Karpman, who is the founding president of the Alliance for Women Film Composers and has received four Emmy Awards, became […]
Alumnus Michael Abels earns praise for “Get Out” Soundtrack
Composer and USC Thornton alumnus Michael Abels (’84, Composition) is the subject of a recent Los Angeles Times profile for his scoring work for Jordan Peele’s hit 2017 thriller, Get Out. Peele discovered the composer, who is best known for his gospel and orchestral compositions, through a Youtube clip of Abel’s Urban Legends concerto for […]
USC Thornton #1 on Hollywood Reporter’s list of ‘Music Schools for Film and TV’
USC Thornton’s renowned Screen Scoring program has topped the Hollywood Reporter’s list of the “Top 25 Music Schools for Film and TV,” lauding the school’s conservatory approach and focus on music for contemporary media. The article, which points to Thornton alumnus Thomas Newman and faculty member and alumnus Bruce Broughton (’67) as success stories, quotes […]
Thornton alumni create the Los Angeles Film Conductor’s Intensive
USC Thornton alumni David Newman (MM ’82, Violin) and Angel Velez (MA ’14, Music Education) have teamed to create the Los Angeles Film Conductor’s Intensive (LAFCI), a conductor training program designed for media composers. LAFCI hosts regular workshops and seminars to train artists in the nuances of conducting for film, television, and video game recording […]