Aram Arakelyan accepted into the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar
USC Thornton DMA student Aram Arakelyan was accepted into the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar this summer in Potsdam, New York. Through a nation-wide audition process, Arakelyan was one of only six singers and three pianists selected for the program. The one-week intensive seminar aims to teach artist-level performers how to pursue the artistry of… Continue reading Aram Arakelyan accepted into the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar
Classical Guitar alum Cameron O’Connor a finalist in the Tokyo International Guitar Competition
Classical guitar alum Cameron O’Connor, who recently completed his DMA, was a finalist in the Tokyo International Guitar Competition. O’Connor, who studied with Bill Kanengiser, made his Lincoln Center debut in 2009 under the baton of Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun, performing Concerto for Six, an ensemble piece which mixes Western and Eastern musical idioms.… Continue reading Classical Guitar alum Cameron O’Connor a finalist in the Tokyo International Guitar Competition
USC Thornton students Alex Biniaz-Harris and Ambrose Soehn featured in the Los Angeles Times
USC Thornton students Alex Biniaz-Harris and Ambrose Soehn perform today in Kraków, Poland, at the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, playing a piano suite they composed based on melodies sung by Holocaust survivors they found in archives of the USC Shoah Foundation. The piano suite and performance… Continue reading USC Thornton students Alex Biniaz-Harris and Ambrose Soehn featured in the Los Angeles Times
Popular Music student Malia Civetz to perform with Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Malia Civetz (BA ’16), current student in USC Thornton’s Popular Music Program, performs tonight with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven Meets Coldplay, a symphonic mash-up of Beethoven’s Eroica and several of Coldplay’s most famous songs. Civetz was selected as the female lead alongside Ben Jones of the Grammy Award-winning a capella group Chanticleer and… Continue reading Popular Music student Malia Civetz to perform with Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra
Kevin Brown wins position of principal bass with Detroit Symphony Orchestra
USC Thornton graduate certificate student Kevin Brown won the position of principal bass of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, where he began playing this summer. Brown has performed with the Houston Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Atlanta Symphony, in addition to performing in dozens of music festivals throughout America and abroad. A student of USC… Continue reading Kevin Brown wins position of principal bass with Detroit Symphony Orchestra
Masters student Sarah Rommel wins third prize at The George Enescu International Cello Competition
Sarah Rommel, current Masters student studying with Ralph Kirshbaum, won third prize at The George Enescu International Cello Competition in Bucharest, Romania. Rommel also took home the Kronberg Prize from the competition. The young cellist has previously given solo performances and recitals in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Seattle, Aspen, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, France, England and… Continue reading Masters student Sarah Rommel wins third prize at The George Enescu International Cello Competition
DMA student Natasha Marin performs recital in France Bordeaux/Los Angeles Sister City Partnership
Current USC Thornton Keyboard Studies DMA candidate Natasha Marin performed in Bordeaux, France alongside mezzo-soprano Victoria Shereshevskaya for the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Bordeaux/Los Angeles Sister City Partnership. Marin, a classical pianist hailing from Russia, has worked as a soloist with chamber ensembles and piano duos, and has performed extensively in Europe and the United States.… Continue reading DMA student Natasha Marin performs recital in France Bordeaux/Los Angeles Sister City Partnership
Weicheng Zhao and Fang Gao to perform at Calgary Organ Festival and Symposium
Current USC Thornton doctoral candidate Weicheng Zhao (MM ’14, DMA ’16) is one of two organists to perform on the Young Artists’ Platform during the Calgary Organ Festival and Symposium. His wife Fang Gao (GCRT, ’16), who is currently a student in the Early Music program, will join him in a concert at the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer in… Continue reading Weicheng Zhao and Fang Gao to perform at Calgary Organ Festival and Symposium
Andrew Stenvall awarded position of Principal Percussion with Illinois Symphony Orchestra
Current USC Thornton Percussion student, Andrew Stenvall (MM, ’15), recently won the position of Principal Percussion with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra. A student of USC Thornton’s Joseph Pereira and Jim Babor, Stenvall also participated in a trial week with the Winston Salem Symphony for a section percussion position. Additionally, he was also a runner-up for… Continue reading Andrew Stenvall awarded position of Principal Percussion with Illinois Symphony Orchestra
Album by current student Mak Grgic receives praise from New York Times, Independent
Cinema Verisimo, the newest album by USC Thornton Classical Guitar doctoral candidate Mak Grgic, received praise from both the New York Times and the Independent (UK). The album features original arrangements of classical works written specifically for, or featured prominently in popular films, which the Independent called both “cleverly compiled” and “ingeniously arranged.” Among the… Continue reading Album by current student Mak Grgic receives praise from New York Times, Independent