Alumni Garner 2024 Emmy Nominations

By Deanna Gasparyan

Nine USC Thornton alumni were recognized with 76th Emmy Awards nominations on July 17.


Nominations for the 76th annual Emmy Awards were announced on July 17, recognizing excellence in television across multiple platforms. The ceremony was hosted by Emmy winners Sheryl Lee Ralph and Tony Hale alongside Television Academy Chair Cris Abrego at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. This year, nine of the nominees are USC Thornton alumni, many of whom have been nominated for the first time. 

Sara Barone (MM ‘18) received a nomination for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special for the Planet Earth III episode, “Extremes.” In the same category, Chanda Dancy (GCRT ’04) received a nomination for Lawmen: Bass Reeves Part One. Non-degreed alumnus James Newton Howard was nominated for his music on All The Light We Cannot See.

Portrait of composer/conductor Chanda Dancy.
Composer Chanda Dancy (GCRT ’04) earned her first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her work on Lawmen: Bass Reeves Part One. (Photo by Georgia Yeh – © Chanda Dancy)

Eli Brueggemann (’03) was nominated for Outstanding Music Direction and Outstanding Music and Lyrics on Saturday Night Live.

Nick Chuba (’14) was nominated for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series for the Shōgun episode, “Servants of Two Masters.” He earned a second nomination for Shōgun in the Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music category.

Bruce Eskowitz (MM ’93) received a nomination in the Outstanding Documentary Or Nonfiction Special category for his work as a producer on The Greatest Night In Pop.

Carlos Rafael Rivera (MM ’04, DMA ’10) was nominated for Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special for the Lessons in Chemistry episode, “Book of Calvin.” His work on the show was also recognized for Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music. 

Ben Schor (‘02) received two nominations as a music editor in the Outstanding Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special category for his work on the series Fargo and Ripley, respectively. 

Jeff Toyne (GCRT ’01) was nominated for Outstanding Music Composition for a Series for the Palm Royale episode, “Maxine Saves a Cat.” Toyne was also nominated in the Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music category.

In this year’s Regional Emmy Awards, conductor and USC Thornton faculty member Troy Quinn was nominated alongside the Owensboro Symphony for the PBS special, “Owensboro Symphony Presents a Night at the Oscars.”

For her score to the PBS special “Keeping the Pinelands,” composer and alumna Katya Richardson (’19) was recognized with a New York Emmy Award nomination.

The 76th Emmy Awards ceremony will broadcast live on ABC on Sunday, September 15 from the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE.

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Featured image credit: Illustration by Sean David Christensen; Photo courtesy of Cottonbro Studio.

TAGS: Composition, Screen Scoring,

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