![](https://music.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/DanielNewman-Lesser_240-150x150.jpg)
Masters student receives funding to research and perform Brubeck’s “Gates of Justice”
Daniel Newman-Lessler, a second year student in the USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music master’s program, has received a research grant from The Brubeck Institute at the University of the Pacific to edit a new edition of Dave Brubeck’s jazz-imbued cantata, The Gates of Justice, which he will later perform. The Gates of Justice dates… Continue reading Masters student receives funding to research and perform Brubeck’s “Gates of Justice”
![](https://music.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/VijayVenkatesh-150x150.jpg)
Pianist Vijay Venkatesh wins Classics Alive Artists competition
USC Thornton Keyboard Studies senior Vijay Venkatesh, a student of Jeffrey Kahane, recently took the Grand Prize at the 2016 Classics Alive Artists competition in Los Angeles. Earlier this year, Venkatesh won 1st Prize in the Frances Walton Competition in Seattle, the Pyrenees Music Society Competition in Pasadena, and the USC Symphony Concerto Competition. Violinist… Continue reading Pianist Vijay Venkatesh wins Classics Alive Artists competition
![](https://music.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/LesleyBaird_240-150x150.jpg)
Thornton musicians sweep Frances Walton Competition in Seattle
Mezzo-soprano and USC Thornton Vocal Arts & Opera graduate student Lesley Baird (MM ’15) was a winner of the 2016 Frances Walton Competition in Seattle, where she was accompanied by pianist and Keyboard Collaborative Arts DMA candidate Jasper Jimenez (MM ’13, GCRT ’15). Since winning the competition in July, the duo has presented several area… Continue reading Thornton musicians sweep Frances Walton Competition in Seattle
![](https://music.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/ThomasHooten_240-150x150.jpg)
Thomas Hooten
Thomas Hooten is Principal Trumpet of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Prior to joining the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Hooten served as Principal Trumpet in the Atlanta Symphony from 2006-2012. He released Trumpet Call, his first solo album, in 2011. Hooten began his career in 2000 with a trumpet/cornet position in “The President’s Own” United States… Continue reading Thomas Hooten
![](https://music.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/MichaelLee-150x150.jpg)
Composition student Michael Lee debuts piece for string quartet on new album
“Farewell…,” a work by USC Thornton Composition doctoral candidate Michael Lee, is included on the compilation album Between the Echoes: Contemporary Chamber Works, recently released by Navona Records. Lee’s composition for string quartet, which incorporates shifting rhythms, timbres, and moods, was performed by violinists Vit Muzik and Igor Kopyt, violist Dominika Mužíková, and cellist Petr… Continue reading Composition student Michael Lee debuts piece for string quartet on new album
![portrait of Lindsay Wolfington on blank backdrop](https://music.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/LindsayWolfington_240-150x150.jpg)
Lindsay Wolfington
Passionate about music and what it brings to the moving picture, Lindsay Wolfington has been working in music supervision for 19 years. She is known for her work on the television show One Tree Hill, where she featured over 1,700 songs from breaking artists and iconic names like Led Zeppelin and U2, and more recently… Continue reading Lindsay Wolfington
![Photo of Loren Medina, 2021](https://music.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/LorenMedina_Bio-150x150.jpg)
Loren Medina
Loren Medina is an adjunct instructor in the USC Thornton Music Industry program. She has worked in the music industry for 21 years and currently owns Guerrera Marketing & PR Inc., a bilingual hybrid agency focused on public relations, marketing, consulting, and brand partnerships representing avant-garde Latinx artists who strive to create their musical lanes. Her current roster includes Kali Uchis,… Continue reading Loren Medina
![](https://music.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/ThomasMellan_240-150x150.jpg)
Organist Thomas Mellan takes first place at San Diego competition
Thomas Mellan, a USC Thornton junior double-majoring in Organ Studies and Composition, recently took first place in the keyboard division of the Musical Merit Foundation’s competition for instrumentalists and vocalists, earning the distinction of Fenstermaker Scholar. Mellan, who also took the top prize in the 2015 competition, performed at the foundation’s 70th Annual Awards Concert… Continue reading Organist Thomas Mellan takes first place at San Diego competition
![](https://music.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Irene_240-150x150.jpg)
DMA candidate Irene Apanovitch awarded prestigious CET Fellowship
Irene Apanovitch, a doctoral candidate in the USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music program, has been appointed as a Teaching Assistant Fellow with the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching (CET) for the 2016-17 academic year. CET Fellows take an active role in guiding the work and objectives of Teaching Assistants across the university. In… Continue reading DMA candidate Irene Apanovitch awarded prestigious CET Fellowship
![](https://music.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/TomomiSato-150x150.jpg)
Pianist Tomomi Sato to be featured soloist at LACMA’s Sundays Live
USC Thornton Masters student Tomomi Sato (BM ’15, Keyboard Collaborative Arts) was named the winner of the 2016 Sundays Live audition through the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). She will perform a program featuring the works of Bach, Schumann and Wild on Sunday, September 11. Her performance is part of LACMA’s Sundays Live… Continue reading Pianist Tomomi Sato to be featured soloist at LACMA’s Sundays Live