USC Thornton Faculty and Alumni Honored with Grammy Nominations

Counted among the 2025 Grammy Award nominees are current USC Thornton faculty members, recent graduates and alumni.

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Alumni and faculty from the USC Thornton School of Music received 14 nominations for the 67th Grammy Awards, announced Friday, Nov. 8. Our list of honorees includes arts leaders, composers, performers, members of jazz and orchestral ensembles, as well as music industry professionals representing nominated artists and featured in nominated works. Please check back as the list will grow in the days to come. 

The awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, at Downtown L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena.

USC Thornton Strings faculty member and Robert Mann Chair in Strings and Chamber Music Seth Parker Woods earned their second nomination in a row for Best Classical Instrumental Solo with “Eastman: The Holy Presence of Joan D’Arc.” Celebrated choral group Tonality, founded by Alexander Lloyd Blake (DMA ’19) and last year’s winners for New Age, Ambient or Chant Album for “So She Howls,” return to the Grammys with a nomination in Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella for “Rose Without the Thorns.”

Grammy nominee Doechii, who earned a nod for Best Rap Performance with “NISSAN ALTIMA,” is managed by USC Thornton Music Industry alums Isa Klar (BM ’23) and Keaton Smith (’16), general manager of Top Dawg Entertainment – which also represents two-time 2025 Grammy nominee SZA and seven-time nominee Kendrick Lamar.

Numerous former faculty were also nominated this morning, including former interim dean Josh Kun for Best Album Notes – SONtrack Original De La Película “Al Son De Beno”; former Jazz faculty member Sara Gazarek for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella – “Silent Night” by säje and Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals – “Alma” by säje feat. Regina Carter; and former Jazz faculty member John Clayton for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album with And So It Goes by The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. This nomination is also shared with his son and current 2024-2025 Artist-in-Residence in Jazz, Gerald Clayton (BM ’07). Additionally, former Screen Scoring adjunct lecturer and composer Laura Karpman earned a nomination for her score to the Academy Award-winning film American Fiction.

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List of USC Thornton Nominees

We strive to include all nominated current and former students, faculty, staff, and alumni in our write-up. If you or someone you know from the Thornton community should be mentioned, please do not hesitate to contact us so that we might add to our list of nominees.

Record of the Year

“BIRDS OF A FEATHER,” Billie Eilish; Billie Eilish & FINNEAS, producers; Thom Beemer, Jon Castelli, Billie Eilish, FINNEAS, Aron Forbes (BM ’07), Brad Lauchert & Chaz Sexton, engineers/mixers; Dale Becker, mastering engineer; Willow Edge (’19, Music Recording minor), mastering engineer.

Album of the Year

HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, Billie Eilish; Billie Eilish & FINNEAS, producers; Thom Beemer, Jon Castelli, Billie Eilish, FINNEAS, Aron Forbes (BM ’07), Brad Lauchert & Chaz Sexton, engineers/mixers; Billie Eilish O’Connell & FINNEAS, songwriters; Dale Becker, mastering engineer; Willow Edge (’19, Music Recording minor), mastering engineer.

Best Rap Album

Alligator Bites Never Heal by Doechii; Juan Razuri (BS ’24), Dolby Atmos/immersive mix engineer

Best Dance Pop Recording

“L’AMOUR DE MA VIE [OVER NOW EXTENDED EDIT],” Billie Eilish; Billie Eilish & FINNEAS, producers; Jon Castelli & Aron Forbes (BM ’07), mixers

Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media

God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla, Bear McCreary (BM ’02), composer

Best Jazz Instrumental Album

Owl Song by Ambrose Akinmusire (BM ’07) feat. Bill Frisell & Herlin Riley

Best Latin Jazz Album

As I Travel by Donald Vega (BM ’99)

Best Opera Recording

“Saariaho: Adriana Mater” Esa-Pekka Salonen (honorary doctorate, 2010), conductor; Fleur Barron, Axelle Fanyo, Nicholas Phan & Christopher Purves; Jason O’Connell, producer (San Francisco Symphony; San Francisco Symphony Chorus (Jenny Wong (MM ’13, DMA ’17 choral director); Timo Kurkikangas)

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella

“Rose Without the Thorns,” Erin Bentlage, Alexander Lloyd Blake (DMA ’19), Scott Hoying, A.J. Sealy & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (Scott Hoying Featuring säje & Tonality)

Best Classical Instrumental Solo

“Eastman: The Holy Presence of Joan D’Arc,” Seth Parker Woods (Robert Mann Chair in Strings and Chamber Music); Christopher Rountree, conductor (Wild Up)

“Entourer,” Mak Grgić (MM ’12, DMA ’16, GCRT ’20) (Ensemble Dissonance)

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Includes Film and Television)

Shōgun, Nick Chuba (BM ’14), Atticus Ross & Leopold Ross, composers