Raphaël Dargent featured in ABC6 News story
USC Thornton Screen Scoring alum Raphaël Dargent (MM ’19), known as PHAR, was recently featured on ABC6 News in a story about his career as a film composer. Originally from Paris, PHAR pursued a career in business before deciding to follow his passion for music and move to Los Angeles to earn his master’s in […]
Ludwig Göransson featured on new single from Vargas and Lagola
USC Thornton Screen Scoring alum Ludwig Göransson (GC ’08) is featured on a new single from Swedish songwriters and producers Vargas & Lagola, titled “Somebody That Understands Me.” The ‘80s rock-inspired song includes an extended guitar solo by Göransson, who’s most known for his GRAMMY and Oscar-winning work as a producer and composer. Vargas & […]
Angela Little talks Screen Scoring with Spectrum News
Screen Scoring alum Angela Little (MM ’19) was featured on Spectrum News this week, discussing how making the move to Los Angeles to attend USC Thornton helped propel her career as a composer. Originally from Australia, Little knew USC Thornton’s reputation and connection to the industry would bring her closer to her goal of becoming […]
Thomas Newman receives Oscar nomination for “1917” score
USC Thornton Board of Councilors member and award-winning composer Thomas Newman has been nominated for an Oscar in the category of “Music (Original Score)” for his score of the World War I film “1917”. Newman faced a unique challenge scoring “1917,” which was shot to appear as one continuous take, at an unrelenting pace. The […]
Laura Karpman composes music for concert celebrating 100 years of women’s suffrage
Laura Karpman, USC Thornton Screen Scoring faculty member and Emmy-winning composer, will debut a new composition on Jan. 18 at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s “…When there are nine,” a production celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment. Karpman and her collaborator, librettist Kelley Rourke, composed the song cycle “And Still We Dream” […]
Remembering Jack Smalley
Jack Smalley, one of the founding faculty members of USC Thornton’s Screen Scoring program, died on Dec. 30 at his home in Studio City. He was 92. Having served and helped shape the Screen Scoring program for over 30 years, Smalley retired in 2015. He began his musical career as a jazz bassist performing in […]
Ludwig Göransson shares experimental recording techniques from work with Childish Gambino
Screen Scoring alum Ludwig Göransson (GC ’08) recently shared some of the experimental recording techniques he used when producing tracks on the Childish Gambino album Because of the Internet, such as experimenting with iPhone recordings in order to generate new sounds. Göransson shares that they used low-fi iPhone recordings of sound effects and vocals for […]
Thornton alumni end 2019 with awards nominations
Composition alumni Michael Abels (BM ’84) and Austin Wintory (BM ’07), and USC Thornton Board of Councilors member Thomas Newman, are all ending 2019 with nominations for the 2020 awards season. All three composers are nominated for the inaugural SCL Awards, granted by the Society of Composers & Lyricists: Abels’ “Us” score is nominated for […]
Laura Karpman “Sitara” score wins Best Music Score at Los Angeles Animation Festival
Emmy-winning composer and Screen Scoring faculty member Laura Karpman’s score of the animated short film “Sitara: Let Girls Dream” won the award for Best Music Score at the Los Angeles Animation Festival on Dec. 8. Directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, the film also won the award for Best Produced Screenplay and the Humanitarian Award. The film’s […]
Austin Wintory interviews Bear McCreary about composing for video games
As a guest host of The Game Maker’s Notebook podcast from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences, Composition alum Austin Wintory (BM ’07) recently interviewed fellow Trojan and video game composer, Screen Scoring alum Bear McCreary (BM ’02). Both composers are widely known for their award-winning video game scores, and even worked together on […]