King Princess nominated for GLAAD Media Award
King Princess, known off-stage as Mikaela Straus, has been nominated for a 2020 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Artist. Her nomination comes after the success of her debut album, Cheap Queen, that released in the fall of 2019. Straus is a non-degreed USC Thornton alum who studied in the popular music program. Her keyboardist,… Continue reading King Princess nominated for GLAAD Media Award
Celka Ojakangas selected as resident composer for Mizzou International Composers Festival
Composition alum and current DMA candidate Celka Ojakangas (MM ’18) has been selected to appear as one of eight resident composers at the 2020 Mizzou International Composers Festival (MICF). Ojakangas was selected from among a record 346 entrants from 24 countries. As a resident composer, Ojakangas will give presentations about her work, take composition lessons… Continue reading Celka Ojakangas selected as resident composer for Mizzou International Composers Festival
Sara Gazarek performs live set at Paste Studio NYC
USC Thornton alum and current Jazz Studies faculty member Sara Gazarek (BM ’04) recently performed a live set at Paste Studio NYC, performing three tracks from her latest album Thirsty Ghost. “The record is a truly, beautifully authentic representation of a very specific story, at a very particular time of my life,” Gazarek says of… Continue reading Sara Gazarek performs live set at Paste Studio NYC
Alan Smith to premiere song cycle at NYC songSLAM Festival
Pianist Alan Smith, chair of Keyboard Studies and director of Keyboard Collaborative Arts at USC Thornton, will be premiering a new song cycle on Saturday, Jan. 18 at the final event of the songSLAM Festival in New York City, organized by the art song consortium Sparks and Wiry Cries. The five-song piece, titled “Surfing the… Continue reading Alan Smith to premiere song cycle at NYC songSLAM Festival
Ludwig Göransson shares experimental recording techniques from work with Childish Gambino
Screen Scoring alum Ludwig Göransson (GC ’08) recently shared some of the experimental recording techniques he used when producing tracks on the Childish Gambino album Because of the Internet, such as experimenting with iPhone recordings in order to generate new sounds. Göransson shares that they used low-fi iPhone recordings of sound effects and vocals for… Continue reading Ludwig Göransson shares experimental recording techniques from work with Childish Gambino
Thornton alumni end 2019 with awards nominations
Composition alumni Michael Abels (BM ’84) and Austin Wintory (BM ’07), and USC Thornton Board of Councilors member Thomas Newman, are all ending 2019 with nominations for the 2020 awards season. All three composers are nominated for the inaugural SCL Awards, granted by the Society of Composers & Lyricists: Abels’ “Us” score is nominated for… Continue reading Thornton alumni end 2019 with awards nominations
Andris Mattson of Moonchild remixes Sara Gazarek’s “Cocoon”
Andris Mattson (BM ’13), Jazz Studies alum and one third of neo-R&B trio Moonchild, recently released a remix of Björk’s “Cocoon” performed by Jazz Studies faculty member Sara Gazarek, skillfully merging faculty and alumni talent. Though Mattson primarily performs with Moonchild, a band of Jazz Studies alumni, he also releases music independently. Gazarek originally recorded… Continue reading Andris Mattson of Moonchild remixes Sara Gazarek’s “Cocoon”
Moonchild makes NPR Tiny Desk debut
USC Thornton alumni trio Moonchild made their debut on NPR’s Tiny Desk series this week, performing two songs from their new album, Little Ghost, and one from their previous album, Voyager. With their unique blend of soul, jazz and R&B, the group pulled out all the stops for their set, bringing in additional percussion and… Continue reading Moonchild makes NPR Tiny Desk debut
King Princess performs for Cindi Lauper’s annual benefit show for LGBTQ homeless youth
Mikaela Straus, a non-degreed Popular Music alum who performs under the name King Princess, recently performed for Cindi Lauper’s annual benefit concert, Home for the Holidays, which supports LGBTQ homeless youth. Straus sang her hit single “Hit the Back” off of her debut album “Cheap Queen,” before joining a duet of Lauper’s “Time After Time”… Continue reading King Princess performs for Cindi Lauper’s annual benefit show for LGBTQ homeless youth
Katelyn Vahala wins first prize at Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition
Keyboard Studies alum and current graduate student Katelyn Vahala (BM ’18) has recently won first prize at the Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition, and also won the prize for best contemporary performance. The international competition is named for the late Rosalyn Tureck, an acclaimed pianist, teacher, conductor, scholar, and author, who was known for her… Continue reading Katelyn Vahala wins first prize at Rosalyn Tureck International Bach Competition