Alumni


Split screen photo of Carlos Rafael Rivera and Ludwig Göransson

Two Screen Scoring alums take home 2021 Creative Arts Emmy Awards

September 13, 2021

Ludwig Göransson (GCRT ’08) won his second Emmy for his work on Disney+’s “The Mandalorian,” with Carlos Rafael Rivera (DMA ’10) earning his second Emmy with a win for “The Queen’s Gambit” on Netflix.


Alfred Darlington black and white image

Daedelus and Kneebody profiled in the Wall Street Journal

March 15, 2016

The Wall Street Journal recently profiled USC Thornton Jazz Studies alumnus Alfred Darlington (BA ’00 in Music), known professionally as Daedelus, and his role in the jazz sextet Kneedelus, which performed at the Echoplex last week. Darlington, who began experimenting in electronic music while at Thornton, took on the persona of Daedulus as he produced… Continue reading Daedelus and Kneebody profiled in the Wall Street Journal


Ben Bram and Scott Hoying win second GRAMMY Awards with Pentatonix

February 16, 2016

USC Thornton alums Ben Bram (’10, music industry) and Scott Hoying won their second GRAMMY Awards last night for their arrangement of Pentatonix’s “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy,” from the a cappella super-group’s “That’s Christmas to Me” album. For the second straight year, the duo won for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella, the… Continue reading Ben Bram and Scott Hoying win second GRAMMY Awards with Pentatonix


Cellist Marek Szpakiewicz to be featured in Tohuku earthquake memorial concert

February 11, 2016

Cellist and USC Thornton alumnus Marek Szpakiewicz (MM ’01, DMA ’08) will be featured as a soloist in a March 13 concert with pianist Fuzjko Hemming. The concert, at the Colburn School’s Zipper Hall, will commemorate the fifth anniversary of the 2011 Tohuku earthquake and tsunami. Featuring music from Schubert to Mozart to Brahms, the… Continue reading Cellist Marek Szpakiewicz to be featured in Tohuku earthquake memorial concert


Alumna Julie Boardman produces Forest Whitaker debut on Broadway

February 10, 2016

USC Thornton alumna Julie Boardman (BS ’04, music industry) will co-produce the Broadway debut of fellow USC alumnus Forest Whitaker this month in Eugene O’Neill’s “Hughie.” The Michael Grandage-directed play is set in a faded hotel in Manhattan where a down-on-his-luck gambler mourns the death of the hotel’s night clerk, Hughie, and recalls his glory… Continue reading Alumna Julie Boardman produces Forest Whitaker debut on Broadway


Alumnus Robin Buck featured in Long Beach Opera’s “Candide”

January 28, 2016

Baritone and USC Thornton Vocal Arts alumnus Robin Buck (MM ’85) is currently appearing in the Long Beach Opera’s production of Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide,” running Jan. 23 and 30. Buck performs the roles of Pangloss and Voltaire in the operetta, which won four Tony Awards in 1974. Buck has sung extensively as a featured artist… Continue reading Alumnus Robin Buck featured in Long Beach Opera’s “Candide”


formal portrait of Steven Vanhauwaert in formal attire seated at a piano

Pianist Steven Vanhauwaert releases two new albums

January 25, 2016

USC Thornton alumnus Steven Vanhauwaert (MM ’06, GCRT ’08, piano) released two collaborative albums last month, “Joseph Woelfl: The Paris Years” and “Pensées Intimes” (“Intimate Thoughts”). Both recordings were created in collaboration with violinist and UCLA professor Guillaume Sutre. The first album, “Joseph Woelfl: The Paris Years,” which also features Kyunghee Kim-Sutre on the harp,… Continue reading Pianist Steven Vanhauwaert releases two new albums


Composer alumnus Tristan Koester finds success with commissions

January 19, 2016

Composer and Thornton alumnus Tristan Xavier Koester (’15) recently premiered a piece entitled “Memory Fragments” with the Varied Trio, a chamber ensemble featuring Thornton alumni Yuri Inoo (MM ’04, DMA ’09, percussion) and Aron Kallay (DMA ’09, piano). His upcoming work includes recording projects with the trio, as well as traditional Chinese guzheng player Sun… Continue reading Composer alumnus Tristan Koester finds success with commissions


Alumnus Olivier Ochanine wins international conducting competiton

January 12, 2016

Conductor Olivier Ochanine (MM ’07, conducting), USC Thornton alumnus and music director of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, has received first prize at the 2015 Antal Doráti International Conducting Competition in Budapest. The prestigious competition, created in honor of the Hungarian-born conductor and composer who became an American citizen in 1947, was held in collaboration with… Continue reading Alumnus Olivier Ochanine wins international conducting competiton


Royce Saltzman receives Lifetime Achievement Award at World Choral Expo

January 12, 2016

USC Thornton alumnus Royce Saltzman (DMA ’63), a highly esteemed leader in the field of choral music, received the International Federation for Choral Music’s ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the World Choral Expo in Macau, China, in November. Saltzman was instrumental in founding IFCM and served as the group’s President for eight years. Saltzman is also… Continue reading Royce Saltzman receives Lifetime Achievement Award at World Choral Expo