Twelve Thornton students and alumni among winners of 2020-2021 Beverly Hills National Auditions
Winners of the 2020-2021 Beverly Hills National Auditions (BHNA) were recently announced, and among them are a long list of 12 students and alumni of USC Thornton. Each year, the BHNA selects winners to be presented the following season in a series of monthly concerts across Southern California. In consideration of restrictions on in-person events, […]
USC Thornton’s Concerto Chamber Orchestra presents The Carnival of the Animals
USC Thornton’s Concerto Chamber Orchestra, a student-run ensemble, is presenting a 14-day summer festival featuring a virtual performance of “The Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint-Saëns. Between July 18-31, the ensemble will release a movement each day, culminating in a livestream of the full piece on July 31 at 6:00 pm (PST). The project […]
Three Thornton artists join Yellow Barn Summer Artist Residency concert series
Three students and alumni of USC Thornton will appear as artists in residence at Yellow Barn this summer and perform in the organization’s first-ever virtual concert series: cellist and graduate certificate student Coleman Itzkoff (MM ’16); cellist Gabriel Martins (BM ’19); and clarinetist and artist diploma student Yasmina Spiegelberg (GCRT ’17). The three musicians will […]
Martin Chalifour leads drive-in classical music concerts
Martin Chalifour, concertmaster of the LA Phil and a faculty member in the Strings program, will lead two drive-in strings concerts presented by San Diego-based organization Mainly Mozart on July 11. Chalifour had the idea to host a drive-in classical music concert as an innovative way to allow audiences to safely enjoy live music, and […]
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra introduces violinist Jason Issokson in new video
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra recently introduced violinist and USC Thornton alum Jason Issokson (DMA ’11) as one of the newest members of the orchestra in a video interview and performance. In the video feature, filmed in November of 2019, he discusses how he was first introduced to chamber music, and performs Brahms’ Sonatensatz in […]
Gabriel Martins wins first prize in two classical strings competitions
Cellist and USC Thornton alum Gabriel Martins (BM ’19) has recently won first prize in two classical strings competitions. In February, Martins won first prize in the Senior Division of the 2020 Sphinx Competition, a national competition for Black and Latino classical strings musicians. He was awarded second place in the competition in 2018. As […]
Lina Bahn pens advice to graduating college musicians
Lina Bahn, a faculty member in the USC Thornton Strings program, offers advice to musicians graduating from college in a recent online article. Bahn acknowledges that students graduating this semester are likely facing many questions about the future of their field in unprecedented times. Her advice to new graduates is to pull from the creativity […]
Remembering Lynn Harrell
Lynn Harrell, the internationally-acclaimed cellist and former faculty member at the USC Thornton School of Music, died on Monday, April 27. He was 76. From 1986 to 1993, Harrell held the Gregor Piatigorsky Chair in Violoncello at USC Thornton where he taught countless cellists who have gone on to remarkable careers including faculty member Ben […]
USC Thornton artists featured in KUSC’s “Play On, California!”
In a daily broadcast and online feature titled “Play On, California!” Classical KUSC highlights the work California musicians and arts organizations are doing to continue sharing music and create online experiences for audiences while live concerts remain halted. The feature highlights USC Thornton’s Live! From Somewhere series, and the work of various Thornton alumni and […]
Thornton artists compose new works for online commissioning project “Alone Together”
USC Thornton student, alumni and faculty artists have joined violinist Jennifer Koh’s collaborative online commissioning project, Alone Together, created as a way to bring composers together to create new music for live streamed performances while social distancing. The project has received acclaim for its ingenuity and proactive approach to elevating the work of composers during […]