Thornton faculty and alumni record 25th anniversary album for Chandra X-ray Observatory
USC Thornton faculty and alumni participated in a recording at Sony Pictures for the upcoming album Chandra-X: Into Darkness, a musical celebration marking 25 years of space exploration and research through the lens of the Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Produced by Thornton faculty member Christian Amonson, the project will feature a 95-piece orchestra featuring faculty members Thomas Hooten and Jennifer Marotta as well as the following alumni:
Norvin Tu-Wang (MM ’20)
Ben Gunnarson (MM ’24)
Blake Cooper (DMA ’13)
Damian Montano (MM ’02)
Amber Wyman (MM ’16, GCRT ’18)
Lieza Hansen (MM ’16)
Lisa McCormick (MM ’10)
Logan Anderson (DMA ’24)
Sidney Hopson (’08, GCRT ’10, MM ’12)
Ismael Ariel Guerrero Bombut (MM ’22)
Max Opferkuch (’20)
Sara Andon (MM ’91)
Rocio Marron (’99)
Stephanie Payne (’07, GCRT ’09)
Hanbyul Jang Lash (MM ’15, GCRT ’17)
The orchestra will perform music from Star Wars and Star Trek, Elgar’s “Enigma Variations,” and three premieres from composers who capture the spirit of Chandra-X. Singles from the album will be released on July 23, August 26 and throughout fall 2024.
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Photo by David Lee