Composition alumnus Saad Haddad travels the globe
Though the 2016-17 season is winding down, composer and USC Thornton alumnus Saad Haddad (’14, composition) continues to travel the globe to share his music. Recently awarded the Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, as well as the Grand Prize at the S&R Foundation Washington Awards, Haddad spent five weeks […]
Marylin Winkle’s theatrical work praised by Los Angeles Times
Early Music DMA student Marylin Winkle received praise from the Los Angeles Times for her role in Skylight Theatre’s production of “Lord of the Underworld’s Home for Unwed Mothers.” Winkle composed live original music, which F. Kathleen Foley of the Times said “beautifully [underscored] the proceedings.” Last semester, Winkle directed the Chamber Opera of USC’s […]
Clarinet student Eric Abramovitz takes new position with Nashville Symphony
Clarinetist Eric Abramovitz, a USC Thornton Winds & Percussion graduate student of faculty member Yehuda Gilad, was recently named the associate principal/E-flat/2nd clarinet with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra. This is the latest accolade in a banner year for Abramovitz, who also took 1st Prize for Classical Clarinet at the 2017 Vandoren Emerging Artist Competition and […]
Hear Now Music Festival features over 15 Thornton musicians
The seventh annual Hear Now Music Festival took place at the end of April, showcasing many of the most compelling artistic voices in Southern California new music, including a broad slate of USC Thornton students, faculty, and alumni. Pianist and alumnus Gernot Wolfgang (GCRT ’94, film scoring) serves as Associate Artistic Director of the festival, […]
Sophomore Madeliene Mayi releases new EP – with help from Music Industry students
Sophomore Popular Music student Madeleine Meyer — known professionally as Madeleine Mayi — is riding on a wave of success. Her first single, “You Want More,” earned 16,000 plays in less than three weeks, to the praise of Indie Shuffle and Ear to the Ground. On Friday, May 5th, Mayi released “Strawberry Hair,” the last […]
Jeffrey Kahane receives accolades for Beethoven’s Ninth with LACO
USC Thornton Keyboard Studies faculty member Jeffrey Kahane received praise from both the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal for his work conducting Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Kahane has served as LACO’s music director for 20 years, the longest of any in the ensemble’s history. This summer, he […]
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 […]
Composer Ted Hearne mixes music and politics
Composer and USC Thornton faculty member Ted Hearne recently released a new album, Sound from the Bench. The politically-charged album features the Philadelphia-based Crossing Choir, conducted by Donald Nally, performing four of Hearne’s works with guitarists Taylor Levine and James Moore and drummer Ron Wiltrout. Sound from the Bench explores subjects including the Iraq War, […]
Alumna Erika Binsley to premiere commission at D.C. Horn Day
USC Thornton Winds & Percussion alumna Erika Binsley (BM ’12, Horn) will premiere Nick Norton’s Gone to the Other Shore on May 7th at D.C. Horn Day in Washington, D.C., where she is a featured artist. Binsley commissioned the strikingly-contemporary piece, which features “sounds from many of the world’s oceans” and includes electronic instrumentation, with […]
NYTimes explores USC’s commitment to community engagement
Each year, over 70 USC Thornton students and 6,000 Los Angeles-area children participate in our Community Engagement programs. We’re so proud that USC is featured in this New York Times opinion piece on how universities can help kids from disadvantaged circumstances follow their college dreams. Funded in part by the USC Good Neighbors Campaign, Thornton’s […]