Chris O’Brien wins position with U.S. Navy Band
Chris O’Brien (GCRT ’20), a trumpeter and alum of USC Thornton’s Winds & Percussion program, has won a position with the U.S. Navy Band. He is one of many Thornton alumni to join the prestigious band. O’Brien is also a co-founder and current member of Two Button Brass, a Los Angeles-based brass quintet founded by […]
Judith Farmer releases new album of chamber music for bassoon
Winds & Percussion faculty member Judith Farmer has released a new album of chamber music for bassoon, Judith Farmer Plays Favorites. The album includes performances by Strings faculty member Andrew Shulman and alum Vicki Ray (DMA ’88), as well as a recording of a piece by alum composer Gernot Wolfgang (GCRT ’94). The album is […]
James Babor to lead clinic at Percussive Arts Society Convention
James Babor, USC Thornton faculty and member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, will lead a clinic on snare drum technique at the Percussive Arts Society International Convention (PASIC) on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 3:30 pm. PASIC is one of the largest drum and percussion events in the world, featuring concerts, clinics, panels and presentations given […]
Los Angeles Orchestra Fellow Malik Taylor featured on Spectrum News 1
Los Angeles Orchestra Fellow Malik Taylor, one of the four Fellows accepted into the second cohort of the Los Angeles Orchestra Fellowship, was recently featured in a Spectrum News 1 segment about the program. In the segment, Taylor appears with two of his earliest mentors to share his musical journey that led him to the […]
Vimbayi Kaziboni appointed Artistic Advisor of Boston Lyric Opera
USC Thornton alum Vimbayi Kaziboni (BM ‘10) has been appointed to the newly created position of Artistic Advisor for the Boston Lyric Opera (BLO). In the position, Kaziboni will take a curatorial and leadership role in BLO, telling the Boston Globe that his goal is “to tell new stories and unheard stories.” One of the […]
Andrew Harrison to launch new online concert series
USC Thornton alum and saxophonist Andrew Harrison (DMA ’15) will launch a new online concert series, Concert Cast, on Tues., Sept. 1. An advocate for contemporary saxophone music, Harrison will perform with pianist Jason Lo (MM ’12, DMA ’16) in a program that features works by Bozza, Eiunaudi, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, and more. The event will […]
Gina Luciani to release original arrangement of Bizet’s “Carmen Fantasy”
USC Thornton alum and flutist Gina Luciani (MM ‘13) will release an arrangement of Georges Bizet’s “Carmen Fantasy” in September. A celebrated studio musician with an active following, Luciani’s version has been over 10 years in the making and features music for both flute and piano. Luciana was first introduced to “Carmen Fantasy” at the […]
Javier Morales-Martinez receives Music Academy of the West Fast Pitch Award
Undergraduate clarinetist Javier Morales-Martinez was one of three winners of Music Academy of the West’s Fast Pitch Awards in July. During the live online event, Morales-Martinez and other students pitched entrepreneurial ideas for new endeavors in classical performance, presentation and social impact, and received live feedback from industry professionals. Morales-Martinez pitched an initiative to create […]
Juan Pablo Contreras appears on Trilloquy podcast with Garrett McQueen
Juan Pablo Contreras, Latin GRAMMY-nominated composer and a doctoral student in the Composition program, is a guest on the latest episode of Trilloquy, a podcast hosted by USC Thornton alum Garrett McQueen (MM ’12). On Trilloquy, McQueen hosts conversations about challenging the status quo and addressing inequities in classical music. In his interview with McQueen, […]
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, […]