Composition students and alums win orchestral competitions
USC Thornton Composition students and alumni continue to garner accolades. Two major Midwestern orchestras will feature compositions by USC students and alumni. “Even in Paradise,” by Patrick O’Malley (MM ’15, DMA candidate), and “Kaman Fantasy,” by Saad Haddad (BM, ’14), will be performed as part of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra’s Earshot program, under the baton… Continue reading Composition students and alums win orchestral competitions
Alumnus Cameron O’Connor wins Frances Walton Competition
This past summer, classical guitarist and alumnus Cameron O’Connor (DMA ’14) was one of four soloist award winners of the Frances Walton Competition in Seattle, WA. The competition is open to classical performers of piano, voice, strings and wind instruments, who are residents or students in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, California or Alaska. Soloist winners… Continue reading Alumnus Cameron O’Connor wins Frances Walton Competition
Alumnus Cody Westheimer scores new IMAX film
USC Thornton alumnus Cody Westheimer (BM ’01, composition) scored the music for the new IMAX film, “Journey to Space 3D,” which premiered at the California Science Center in Los Angeles last week. For the premiere event, Westheimer conducted student members of the USC Thornton Symphony in sections of the film score, in the shadow of… Continue reading Alumnus Cody Westheimer scores new IMAX film
Thornton new music ensembles sparkle in LATimes review
Two new music ensembles featuring USC Thornton students and faculty were reviewed in the Los Angeles Times for a recent performance as part of Tuesdays@MonkSpace. The HOCKET piano due includes DMA Composition student Thomas Kotcheff (MM ’12) and Composition faculty member Sarah Gibson (MM ’10, DMA ’15). The Sakura ensemble centers around five cellists: Jonathan… Continue reading Thornton new music ensembles sparkle in LATimes review
Alumnus Terry Carter releases second educational music app
USC Thornton Studio/Jazz Guitar alumnus Terry Carter (MM ’02), a Los Angeles-based guitarist, producer and educator, has released a new mobile app to parallel his Rock Like the Pro’s guitar book series. Users of the Rock Like the Pro’s app will have access to over 300 videos and lessons that cover the logistics of learning… Continue reading Alumnus Terry Carter releases second educational music app
Composer alum Karim Elmahmoudi undertakes Minnesota residency
Karim Elmahmoudi (’07), an alumnus of the USC Thornton Composition program, has completed a guest composer residency with the Wayzata Symphony Orchestra in Wayzata, Minnesota. Following a weeklong visit in September, during which Elmahmoudi met with Wayzata students and audiences to discuss his creative process, the Wayzata Symphony presented his work, Orbit: A Symphonic Fantasy,… Continue reading Composer alum Karim Elmahmoudi undertakes Minnesota residency
Vocal Arts alumna studies relationship between rhythm skills and language development
USC Thornton Vocal Arts alumna Dr. Reyna Gordon (’01) has been awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) grant to study the relationship between rhythm skills and language development. Gordon, a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology and at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, has… Continue reading Vocal Arts alumna studies relationship between rhythm skills and language development
Composition alumnus Roger Zare awarded Copland residency
USC Thornton Composition alumnus Roger Zare (BM ’07) was selected for a 2015-16 Copland House Residency Award. The residency, which takes place at composer Aaron Copland’s historical home and studio in Westchester County, New York, invites emerging and mid-career composers to live and work at the residence for three to eight weeks. Zare recently won… Continue reading Composition alumnus Roger Zare awarded Copland residency
Greg Reitan alumni jazz trio reviewed in ArtsJournal
Jazz pianist and USC Thornton alumnus Greg Reitan (’96, composition) was reviewed on the ArtsJournal blog for his new album, Post No Bills, which features fellow alumni Jack Daro (BA ’93, MM ’99) on bass and Dean Koba (MM ’93) on drums. The album has been well-received by critics. Reitan studied composition at USC Thornton… Continue reading Greg Reitan alumni jazz trio reviewed in ArtsJournal
Composition alum Roger Zare wins first prize for orchestral work
USC Thornton Composition alumnus Roger Zare (BM ’07) won first prize at the 3rd Senzoku Contemporary Composition Competition for his orchestral composition, Tectonics. The competition was hosted by the Senzoku Gakuen College of Music in Tokyo, Japan and Zare’s work was performed by the Senzoku New Philharmonic Orchestra.