Celka Ojakangas wins grant from Opera America
Celka Ojakangas, a DMA candidate in Composition, was one of eight recipients of Opera America’s 2019 Opera Grant for Female Composers. This grant will go towards her opera Mirror Game which examines issues of gender bias through the journey of an ambitious female video game designer. Celka and her librettist, Amy Punt, initially workshopped the […]
Composers, Librettists and Performers collaborate for New Opera Works performance
This Friday at noon Newman Recital Hall, New Opera Works (NOW), a new student organization at USC Thornton, will present the first performance of three opera shorts. Running 10 minutes, each short is composed by Thornton Composition majors and performed by Thornton Vocal Arts students and alumni. NOW, founded by current DMA Vocal Arts student […]
Adan Fernandez presents on Music Education and Latino Youth in America
Adan Fernandez, a doctoral candidate in the USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music program, presented at the 2019 California All-State Music Education Conference this February. In his presentation, “Music Education and Latino Youth in America,” Fernandez discusses how best to engage Latinos in a choir setting. “I don’t have a clear and simple answer for […]
Lynn Helding and Melissa Treinkman to participate in National Association of Teachers of Singing Intern Program
Lynn Helding, a Vocal Arts & Opera faculty member, has been selected as one of four master teachers for the National Association of Teachers of Singing Intern Program for 2019. This 10-day program in June brings together the best vocal teachers in the country with early-career teachers. One of the 15 early career teachers selected […]
Rod Gilfry earns positive press
The San Fransisco Classical Voice praised USC Thornton Vocal Arts faculty member Rod Gilfry as one of the most successful and sought-after baritones in the Los Angeles area. The article applauds his various portrayals of opera heroes and villains. It also interviews Gilfry on his appearance in the West Coast premiere of David Lang’s the […]
Ken Cazan discusses Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ at The Met in HD broadcast
Ken Cazan, Resident Stage Director of the USC Thornton Opera program, shared his experiences directing the opera, Carmen as part of a broadcast of The Met in HD: George Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ on February 2 at the Eileen Norris Cinema Theater. Cazan discusses the opera’s themes of destiny, love, freedom and female self-expression and his personal connection with […]
Inaugural Angela Meade Vocal Competition Established
Soprano and USC Thornton alumna Angela Meade (MM ’04) established the Angela Meade Vocal Competition at Pacific Lutheran University this January. After an initial review of all applicants, six finalists performed two songs in this public competition finale. Three winners were announced and were awarded up to $1000 and a trip to the east coast […]
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 […]
Zhengyi Bai selected as Adler Fellow with San Francisco Opera
Tenor and USC Thornton Vocal Arts alumnus, Zhengyi Bai (GC ’18), was named a 2019 Adler Fellow with the San Francisco Opera. Bai was chosen along with nine other singers in this multi-year performance-oriented residency offering advanced young artists intensive individual training, coaching and professional seminars as well as a wide range of performance opportunities.
Grant Gershon warmly reviewed for work with LA Master Chorale and LA Opera
USC Thornton alumnus Grant Gershon (’85, piano), artistic director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, recently launched the ensemble’s 2018-19 season on September 22 with a performance of Shawn Kirchner’s Songs of Ascent, featuring baritone and faculty member, Rod Gilfry, and faculty harpist JoAnn Turovsky as soloists. Gershon is currently conducting the LA Opera’s production […]