Scott Spencer
Trained in Ethnomusicology, Scott Spencer investigates the musical intersections of oral tradition and digital technology. Much of his work has been through the lens of Irish traditional music, though his publications have also looked to American balladry and sonic design in museums. Scott Spencer received his PhD in Ethnomusicology from New York University in 2010… Continue reading Scott Spencer
Organ student Weicheng Zhao takes AGO competition prizes
Weicheng Zhao (MM ’14), a doctoral candidate in the USC Thornton Organ Studies department, recently won both 3rd Place and the Audience Prize at the American Guild of Organists (AGO) National Young Artists Competition in Organ Performance (NYACOP). Zhao studies with Thornton faculty members Ladd Thomas and Cherry Rhodes. The NYACOP competition, which took place… Continue reading Organ student Weicheng Zhao takes AGO competition prizes
Musicology graduate student Alison Maggart wins Ingolf Dahl Award
Alison Maggart, a PhD candidate in the USC Thornton Musicology program, became the first USC student in six years to win the prestigious Ingolf Dahl Award in Musicology from the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the American Musicological Society. The award was established by the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the American Musicological Society in 1971 in… Continue reading Musicology graduate student Alison Maggart wins Ingolf Dahl Award
Daedelus and Kneebody profiled in the Wall Street Journal
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
Violinist Zhe Song joins the Spokane Symphony
USC Thornton alumna Zhe Song (GCRT ’15) has joined the Spokane Symphony in Spokane, Washington as a second violin. A native of Tianjin, China, Song has trained as a violinist since the age of three. She began her training at the Affiliated School of the Tianjin Conservatory of Music before completing both her Bachelor’s and… Continue reading Violinist Zhe Song joins the Spokane Symphony
Cynthia Munzer presents vocal workshop with Music Center
Vocal Arts & Opera faculty member Cynthia Munzer recently presented a day-long vocal master class at the Los Angeles Music Center as part of the Center’s Spotlight Academy, an annual free day of performing arts workshops for students, parents and teachers. The Academy invites arts leaders, such as Broadway star Karen Morrow, jazz icon Arturo… Continue reading Cynthia Munzer presents vocal workshop with Music Center
Andrew Norman premieres work with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil
Andrew Norman, a member of the USC Thornton Composition faculty, premiered a work with the Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil), under conductor Gustavo Dudamel, last week. Norman’s Play: Level 1 is adapted from his 2013 orchestral cycle, Play, which echoes the exuberantly frenetic, startlingly disjointed experience of video game-play, and which was recorded on CD… Continue reading Andrew Norman premieres work with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil
Freshman flutist Jonathan Sussman featured in San Diego concerts
Flutist Jonathan Sussman, a freshman of the USC Thornton Winds & Percussion department, recently performed alongside the Tifereth Israel Community Orchestra in two San Diego concerts. The program, entitled “A Strictly Classical Concert,” featured Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 and Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for violin, viola, and orchestra. Part of the Fallbrook Music Society’s series of… Continue reading Freshman flutist Jonathan Sussman featured in San Diego concerts
Ben Bram and Scott Hoying win second GRAMMY Awards with Pentatonix
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
Alan L. Smith Tanglewood commission now streaming online
The Tanglewood Music Center celebrated its 75th Anniversary this past summer by commissioning over 30 pieces by distinguished composers and alumni, including Alan L. Smith, chair of Keyboard Studies at USC Thornton and director of the Keyboard Collaborative Arts program. Smith’s composition, “I’m Memorizing You,” as well as a work by honorary USC alumnus John… Continue reading Alan L. Smith Tanglewood commission now streaming online