
USC Thornton Alumni Win at the Grammys
By Deanna Gasparyan
At the 2025 Grammy Awards, USC Thornton alumni were celebrated for outstanding achievement across all corners of the music industry.
The 67th annual Grammy Awards returned to Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, February 2, hosted by Trevor Noah. In the wake of the Los Angeles wildfires, this year’s ceremony also served as a fundraiser to support music professionals and the city’s wildfire relief efforts.
Among the featured performers were Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, The Weeknd, Shakira and Charli XCX. During the telecast, cellist and USC Thornton Screen Scoring alum Quenton Blache (‘23, MM ‘24) performed on stage with Teddy Swims for his song “Lose Control.” In the evening’s tribute to Quincy Jones, music director and teacher Allison Cheng (MM ‘18) led the Choir of Palisades Charter High School as they sang “We are the World” alongside Stevie Wonder.
We celebrate this partial list of highlights as representative of so many alumni and faculty who contributed to these nominated and award-winning works. Click here to read more about this year’s nominations, and continue to watch this space as more information comes in from our Thornton community about these awarded works. Learn more about all the Thornton-affiliated nominees, which included current USC Thornton faculty members, recent graduates and alumni.
Album of the Year and Best Country Album
Raphael Saadiq, a songwriter and the inaugural member of the Dean’s Creative Vanguard Program, won Album of the Year with Beyoncé for Cowboy Carter, as well as Best Country Album. Saadiq is a mentor to the current class of USC Thornton Popular Music students, helping them develop their original songwriting and live performance skills in preparation for the Senior Showcase.
Best Rap Album
Doechii, an artist with Top Dawg Entertainment where USC Thornton Music Industry alum Keaton Smith (’16) is the general manager, won the award for Best Rap Album with Alligator Bites Never Heal. Popular Music alum Henry Was (‘16) was awarded as one of the producers of track nine, “Wait,” alongside producer Dylvinci. The Dolby Immersive Audio Mix of the album was engineered by Music Industry alum Juan Razuri (‘24).


Best Classical Compendium, Best Contemporary Classical Composition & Best Orchestral Performance

Gabriela Ortiz’s Revolución diamantina won three awards in the Best Classical Compendium, Best Contemporary Classical Composition and Best Orchestral Performance categories. The album of orchestral works was engineered by alum Alexander Lipay (MM ’07), a six-time Grammy winner, and performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Master Chorale, which includes several Thornton musicians and choral artists, among them: faculty members Martin Chalifour (violin), Bing Wang (violin), Ben Hong (cello), Thomas Hooten (trumpet), Catherine Karoly (flute), Marion Arthur Kuszyk (oboe), David Howard (clarinet), Shawn Mouser (bassoon), David Allen Moore (double bass), Joseph Pereira (percussion), James Babor (percussion) as well as cellist Ismael Ariel Guerrero Bombut (MM ’22) and choral artist alumni Graycen Gardner (MM ‘17) and David Morales (MA ‘20).

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
Non-degreed alum Taylor Eigsti won his second Grammy Award in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category with Plot Armor.
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
USC Thornton Jazz Studies alum and former faculty member Sara Gazarek (‘04) won in the Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals category for “Alma” by säje feat. Regina Carter. This marks Gazarek’s second Grammy Award as a member of the vocal quartet.
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Featured photo: Sara Gazarek at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)