Doctoral student Scott Rieker leads Torrance Civic Chorale
Scott Rieker, a DMA candidate in the USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music program, was recently named Artistic Director of the Torrance Civic Chorale. The fourth Artistic Director in the ensemble’s 56-year history, Rieker looks forward to “finding new levels of artistic, beautiful, healthy singing that will appeal to the wonderfully diverse population of the… Continue reading Doctoral student Scott Rieker leads Torrance Civic Chorale
KuanFen Liu receives Ventura Mayor’s Arts Award
USC Thornton alumna KuanFen Liu (DMA ’10, choral music) has received the Ventura Mayor’s Arts Award in the category of Artist in the Community. This award honors established artists in any discipline who show artistic excellence and contribute to Ventura’s cultural vitality. Outside of working on year-round music programs for several school districts, Liu is… Continue reading KuanFen Liu receives Ventura Mayor’s Arts Award
DMA candidate Rina Ritivoiu produces album of Christian music in Navajo language
Rina Ritivoiu, a doctoral candidate in the USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music program, has produced the first album of Christian children’s music in the Navajo language. Ritivoiu arranged 10 Christian songs in the language and worked with a chorus of Navajo children to record the songs in Flagstaff, Arizona, over a period of two… Continue reading DMA candidate Rina Ritivoiu produces album of Christian music in Navajo language
Alumnus named Conducting Fellow for Long Beach Symphony
USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music alumnus Daniel Gee (MM ’15, Choral Music) was recently appointed Conducting Fellow for the Long Beach Symphony. Gee will work closely with exceptional conductors and musicians, including incoming music director Eckart Preu, to learn the inner workings of a professional orchestra. A cellist, educator, and composer, Gee recently premiered… Continue reading Alumnus named Conducting Fellow for Long Beach Symphony
Jo-Michael Scheibe authors “Teaching Music through Performance in Choir”
USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music chair Jo-Michael Scheibe (DMA ’85) is the editor and author of the 4th volume of GIA Publications’ Teaching Music Through Performance in Choir. In it, Scheibe discusses the importance of consonants in choral music and the shaping of healthy, vibrant tones. The volume, which was recently released at the… Continue reading Jo-Michael Scheibe authors “Teaching Music through Performance in Choir”
Choral Music alumna combines music and neuroscience to treat Parkinson’s
USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music alumna Bronte Ficek (’15, Choral Music) explores the effects of group singing on patients with Parkinson’s Disease in her work as a clinical neuroscience researcher at The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. As part of her research, Ficek acts as assistant and accompanist for the Parkisonics, a choir for… Continue reading Choral Music alumna combines music and neuroscience to treat Parkinson’s
Choral alumnus David Means leads South Texas choir
USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music alumnus David Means (DMA ’97, choral music) is the founder of the Valley Choral Artists, South Texas’s first semi-professional chamber choir. He formed the ensemble in 2013 after he was appointed Director of Choral Studies at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Following a highly successful 2015 performance… Continue reading Choral alumnus David Means leads South Texas choir
Thornton Choral & Sacred Music program strongly represented at ACDA conference
Irene Apanovitch, a doctoral candidate in the USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music program, recently took the podium as a semi-finalist at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Graduate Choral Conducting Competition. One of only eight conductors selected for this honor, Apanovitch currently serves as the Teaching Assistant and lead conductor for Thornton’s Oriana Women’s… Continue reading Thornton Choral & Sacred Music program strongly represented at ACDA conference
The National Children’s Chorus forms partnership with USC Thornton School of Music
USC Thornton has announced a new partnership with the National Children’s Chorus (NCC), America’s leading treble choral ensemble. The new educational initiative, designed to further train select young conductors in Thornton’s Choral & Sacred Music program, will provide graduate students with two positions annually on the NCC’s artistic staff. USC Thornton DMA candidate Alexander Lloyd… Continue reading The National Children’s Chorus forms partnership with USC Thornton School of Music
USC acquires Paul Salamunovich Archive
USC Thornton’s department of Choral and Sacred Music, in conjunction with the USC Libraries Special Collections, has been gifted the archives of the late conductor, scholar, and educator, Paul Salamunovich. A long-time conductor and music director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale and an influential voice in choral pedagogy, Salamunovich also taught at Thornton and… Continue reading USC acquires Paul Salamunovich Archive