Austin Wintory scores new game “John Wick Hex”
Composition alum Austin Wintory (’07) has composed the music of “John Wick Hex,” a new video game based on the popular John Wick movie series. Wintory is best known for his GRAMMY-nominated score for the game “Journey” and his score for “Assassin’s Creed Syndicate.” Lionsgate and game developer Bithell Games made the announcement of Wintory’s… Continue reading Austin Wintory scores new game “John Wick Hex”
Faculty and alumni come together at fourth annual CollabFest
USC Thornton will have a strong presence at the upcoming CollabFest conference, with many alumni and faculty attending. Alan Smith, director of Keyboard Collaborative Arts, Andrew Harley (DMA ’97), Russell Miller (BM), James Douglass (DMA ’04), ChoEun Lee (DMA, ’13) and Lisa Sylvester, Chair of Vocal Arts & Opera at Thornton, will all be participating.… Continue reading Faculty and alumni come together at fourth annual CollabFest
USC Thornton faculty and alumni enter GRAMMY Award consideration
A number of Thornton faculty and alumni have entered consideration for GRAMMY award nominations. Jazz Studies faculty member Sara Gazarek’s album Thirsty Ghost is up for consideration in multiple categories including Best Jazz Vocal Album. Alumnus Gernot Wolfgang’s (GCRT ’94) chamber music album, Vienna and the West, was entered in the Best Classical Compendium category.… Continue reading USC Thornton faculty and alumni enter GRAMMY Award consideration
Christian Kolo announced as 2019 Pete Carpenter Fellow
Thornton alumnus Christian Kolo (MM ’19, Screen Scoring) was recently announced as the winner of the 2019 Pete Carpenter Fellowship, a residency for aspiring film, television, and video game composers. Kolo is an award-winning composer, and was awarded the fellowship based on his composition, “Hold On!” The award includes a stipend for four to five… Continue reading Christian Kolo announced as 2019 Pete Carpenter Fellow
David Allen Moore releases book of double bass instruction
Thornton faculty member and alumnus David Allen Moore has published his first book, “Fractal Fingering: A scaleable concept of fingerboard geography for the Double Bass.” The book is founded on 10 years of scholarship and teaching and redefines the methods for fingerboard organization and double bass left-handed technique. The book has already been put on… Continue reading David Allen Moore releases book of double bass instruction
Thornton alumni lead ensembles to top awards in choral performance
Ethan Sperry (MM ’98, DMA ’00) and Jason Saunders (MM ’14) were both awarded The American Prize in Choral Performance for their ensembles this year. Sperry led the Oregon Repertory Singers to a win in the American Prize’s community chorus division. The Oregon Repertory Singers are a nonprofit organization that frequently presents regional premieres and… Continue reading Thornton alumni lead ensembles to top awards in choral performance
Patrice Rushen returns to Monterey Jazz Festival with Christian McBride Situation
Patrice Rushen, chair of the USC Thornton Popular Music program, was recently featured in the San Francisco Chronicle ahead of her return to the Monterey Jazz Festival on September 27 with the Christian McBride Situation. Rushen first performed at the festival as a senior in high school in 1972, when she led her combo to… Continue reading Patrice Rushen returns to Monterey Jazz Festival with Christian McBride Situation
Sarah Gibson to join faculty at UCSB Department of Music
Thornton alumna Sarah Gibson (MM ’10, DMA ’15) will join the faculty at the UC Santa Barbara Department of Music and College of Creative Studies as Teaching Professor in Composition this fall. Gibson will be teaching courses in composition, music theory, orchestration and other performance-related courses. “Her background and support of new musical compositions, along… Continue reading Sarah Gibson to join faculty at UCSB Department of Music
Argus Quartet joins residency program at Yellow Barn
The Argus Quartet has been invited to participate in a week-long residency program this September at Yellow Barn, an international center for chamber music, encouraging the discovery of music in the studio, classroom and concert hall. The quartet was founded by alum Clara Kim (DM ’15) with classmates from USC. Yellow Barn has welcomed back… Continue reading Argus Quartet joins residency program at Yellow Barn
Bear McCreary offers insights into his scores on podcast The Fourth Wall
Bear McCreary (BM ‘02) was recently interviewed on The Fourth Wall, a podcast that aims to get a behind the scenes look at the film industry from industry professionals. McCreary, who is known for his diverse catalogue of work and innovative scores, offered insights into the process of scoring some of his well-known projects. About… Continue reading Bear McCreary offers insights into his scores on podcast The Fourth Wall