As part of the USC Thornton School of Music’s Beyond Category Series, Dean Jason King will welcome Solange to the stage alongside her Saint Heron collaborators, Shantel Aurora and Sabla Stays. Together, they will explore Solange’s groundbreaking approach to curation and the future of music as a living archive of memory, identity, and community.

It’s no secret that Solange Knowles has emerged as one of the most adventurous musicians of the 21st century; her landmark albums include A Seat at the Table (2016; featuring production and writing from Thornton Dean’s Creative Vanguard Member Raphael Saadiq) and When I Get Home (2019). Beyond her music, Solange is also a visionary cultural curator, boldly taking her practice into unexpected territory. Through her long-running multidisciplinary platform Saint Heron, she has reimagined how art and sound of marginalized communities are preserved and shared, through initiatives such as the Saint Heron Community Library and her multi-city El Dorado Ballroom performance series. She’s partnered with institutions like the Elbphilharmonie, the Venice Art Biennale, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and she is the third woman and first African American composer to create a score for the New York City Ballet.

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NOTE: Thornton community members (students, faculty, and staff) receive priority registration access. All Thornton students, staff, and faculty must RSVP using the link to reserve a spot. RSVPs will open on Tuesday, October 7th, for non-Thornton USC community members, and space permitting, again on Thursday, October 9th, for general admission. Space is extremely limited, and an RSVP does not guarantee a seat; we encourage you to arrive early.

View all of Thornton's Signature Series events.

This program is open to all eligible individuals. USC operates all of its programs & activities consistent with the university’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation or any other prohibited factor.