Argus Quartet wins senior strings division of M Prize
The Argus Quartet, which includes USC Thornton alumni Clara Kim (DMA ’15, violin) and Jason Issokson (MM ’10, violin) along with violist Dana Kelley and cellist Jo Whang, was named the first place winner in the Senior Strings division of the University of Michigan’s M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition. In addition to a cash prize of […]
Bassist Robin Kesselman performs with Houston Symphony Orchestra
USC Thornton alumnus Robin Kesselman (’12, double bass), principal bass of the Houston Symphony Orchestra, enjoyed his solo debut with the ensemble earlier this year. Kesselman performed Serge Koussevitzky’s Concerto for Double Bass on the January program, which featured contemporary music from the Americas and was led by conductor Andrés Orozco-Estrada. “Koussevitzky was an incredible […]
Donald Crockett, Thornton alumni featured at Caramoor
USC Thornton Composition chair Donald Crockett (MM ’76) recently visited the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts in Katonah, New York, where the Argus Quartet is preparing his commissioned string quartet for its July premiere. Thornton alumni and faculty feature prominently throughout the Center’s spring and summer seasons. The Los Angeles-based Argus Quartet, which […]
Strong USC Thornton showing in LA Phil’s 2017-18 season
The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) recently announced its 2017-18 concert season, which includes featured performances by numerous USC Thornton faculty and alumni. In December, the Calder Quartet, which includes Thornton alumni Benjamin Jacobson (BM’01, MM’07, violin), Andrew Bulbrook (BM ’02, violin), Jonathan Moerschel (BM ’01, MM ’03, viola) and Eric Byers (BM ’03, cello), […]
Cynthia Phelps presents all-French trio program
Violist and USC Thornton alumna Cynthia Phelps recently performed with the Les Amies Trio for the San Antonio Chamber Music Society’s 74th season. The Trio, which included harpist Nancy Allen and flutist Carol Wincec, presented an all-French program, including Jacques Ibert’s Deux Interludes suivi de Carillon and Arnold Bax’s Elegiac Trio, as well as works […]
Bassist Owen Levine joins Colorado Symphony
USC Thornton Strings alumnus Owen Levine (MM ‘09) recently won a section bass position with the Colorado Symphony. Levine previously performed as a Fellow with the New World Symphony.
Student chamber duo wins prizes in Boulder
Cellist Coleman Itzkoff and pianist Alin Melik-Adamyan (’12, MM ’14, piano), who perform as the Amicus Duo, recently earned top prizes at the Boulder International Chamber Music Competition, winning second prize overall and a special prize for best performance of Arthur Gottschalk’s Some Assembly Required. The USC Thornton student duo formed in 2014 and have […]
Strings magazine celebrates alumna, violist Cynthia Phelps
Strings magazine recently profiled USC Thornton alumna Cynthia Phelps, principal violist of the New York Philharmonic, on the occasion of the orchestra’s November premiere of a concerto written for her by Composition doctoral candidate Julia Adolphe (MM ’12, composition). The concerto, Unearth, Release, which was co-commissioned by the Philharmonic and the League of American Orchestras […]
Cellist Peter Myers wins position with San Francisco Opera orchestra
USC Thornton alumnus Peter Myers (MM ’10, GCRT ’13) is the new associate principal cello of the San Francisco Opera. In November, he was selected from a pool of over 50 invited cellists to join the company’s orchestra. A founding member of both the Saguaro Piano Trio and the SAKURA cello quintet, Myers has served […]
David Allen Moore featured on “Contrabass Conversations” podcast
Bassist and USC Thornton Strings faculty member David Allen Moore was recently featured on the Contrabass Conversations podcast, hosted by musician Jason Heath. Moore was a guest on the podcast in 2009 and returned to the series by popular demand. Heath led Moore in a conversation about the creative process of practicing, reveling in successes, […]