People


Bokyung Byun wins prestigious JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition

June 21, 2018

Classical Guitarist and USC Thornton doctoral candidate Bokyung Byun has won first place and Musician’s Choice in the JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition, one of the world’s top events for guitarists. The biennial competition, hosted by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra of New York state, featured eight semi-finalists in performance with the orchestra under music… Continue reading Bokyung Byun wins prestigious JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition


Michael Kaminsky

Michael Kaminsky

June 20, 2018

Michael Kaminsky is the founder and president of KMGMT, Inc, an international music management company that represents artists, writers, producers and composers. With over 15 years of management experience, the company boasts a #1 record with 15 million singles sold, writing credits for artists from Katy Perry and Ke$ha to Maroon5 and Portugal the Man,… Continue reading Michael Kaminsky


Michael Arrom

June 20, 2018

Michael Arrom launched his professional career at 18, when he embarked on an international tour playing keyboards for multi-GRAMMY-winning guitarist Steve Vai. He has been featured on national television, performing alongside country icon Keith Urban and appearing on multiple episodes of the popular television series, Glee. Born in New Jersey, Arrom grew up with a… Continue reading Michael Arrom


Kevin Lyman

Kevin Lyman

June 4, 2018

Associate professor of practice in the USC Thornton Music Industry program, Kevin Lyman is best known as founder and producer of the Vans Warped Tour which made its 24th and final cross-country run in 2018. He has been an industry professional for 37 years, having worked his way up from throwing backyard concerts to producing… Continue reading Kevin Lyman


Yoon Joo Hwang appointed to University of Central Florida faculty

March 28, 2018

Bassoonist and USC Thornton graduate student Yoon Joo Hwang was recently appointed Assistant Professor (Tenure Track) at the University of Central Florida, where she will begin teaching in the fall.


Daniel Linder earns Graduate Student Government research award

March 21, 2018

Daniel Linder, a DMA candidate in USC Thornton’s Keyboard Studies program, was recently awarded 1st Prize in the Humanities division of the USC Graduate Student Government’s 10th annual Research Symposium awards. Linder’s research explored the musical language of 20th Century French composer Maurice Ohana, focusing on his Six Études d’Interprétation (1981-82). Under the guidance of… Continue reading Daniel Linder earns Graduate Student Government research award


Eric Abramovitz named associate principal/Eb clarinetist of the Toronto Symphony

March 16, 2018

Clarinetist Eric Abramovitz, a graduate student of USC Thornton Winds & Percussion faculty member Yehuda Gilad, was recently named associate principal/Eb clarinetist of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. This new appointment comes less than a year after he won a position with the Nashville Symphony Orchestra and took 1st prize for Classical Clarinet at the 2017… Continue reading Eric Abramovitz named associate principal/Eb clarinetist of the Toronto Symphony


Alvin Liang wins USC Thornton 2018 Kanter Award

February 20, 2018

USC Thornton Music Industry senior Alvin Liang has been selected as a recipient for the USC Thornton 2018 Kanter Award, taking home $7,250. He previously won the USC Stevens Award with his EventAll app, which he describes as “The WordPress of the event-planning world.” The Kanter Endowed Music Industry Project Fund provides upper-level students with… Continue reading Alvin Liang wins USC Thornton 2018 Kanter Award


Portrait of Antoinette Perry smiling

Antoinette Perry

January 31, 2018

Antoinette Perry, born into a family of professional musicians, gave her first public performance at the age of four. Since then she has concertized extensively throughout the United States, Germany, France, England, and in over 15 cities of the People’s Republic of China. She has been heard often on NPR and the Bravo! Channel, and… Continue reading Antoinette Perry


Patrick O’Malley wins Sioux City’s Composer of the Year Award

January 31, 2018

Patrick O’Malley (MM ’15), a doctoral candidate in the USC Thornton Composition program, was recently selected as the Sioux City Symphony Orchestra’s Composer of the Year for 2018. He earned the title with Loneliness in a Beautiful Place, a string work that also won the 2017 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award. O’Malley will travel… Continue reading Patrick O’Malley wins Sioux City’s Composer of the Year Award