Yewon Lee appointed Music Director of San Diego Festival Chorus
Emerging conductor Yewon Lee will take the lead at the San Diego Festival Chorus as the newly appointed Music Director. Lee, a who is pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Choral Music at USC Thornton, has garnered recognition for her work with the Baldwin Wallace Opera Theater and the National Opera Center in New… Continue reading Yewon Lee appointed Music Director of San Diego Festival Chorus
Heesong Lee places second in international choral competition
Heeseong Lee, a doctoral candidate in USC Thornton’s Choral & Sacred Music program, recently placed second in the 2019 World Choral Conducting Competition. The native of South Korea stood out in a field that included contestants from 29 countries. In addition to a cash prize, Lee also received the opportunity to study with choral conducting… Continue reading Heesong Lee places second in international choral competition
Lesley Leighton appointed Director of Choral Activities at CSUSB
USC Thornton alumna Lesley Leighton (MM ’91, DMA ’12) has been appointed the tenure-track position of Director of Choral Activities at the California State University San Bernardino’s Music Department. Leighton, who has premiered over 50 works since 2009, served as UCLA’s director of choruses from 2014-2016 and has regularly conducted the Los Angeles Master Chorale… Continue reading Lesley Leighton appointed Director of Choral Activities at CSUSB
Nick Strimple releases new composition as part of NCCO Choral Series
Nick Strimple, Professor of Choral and Sacred Music at USC Thornton, recently released his new Christmas-Sacred choral composition, “Verbum caro factum est,” for unaccompanied SATB as part of the National Collegiate Choral Organization (NCCO). Strimple wrote this Christmas motet, the Responsory to the eighth Lesson of Second Vespers on Christmas, in honor of the Reverand… Continue reading Nick Strimple releases new composition as part of NCCO Choral Series
Tram Sparks publishes article in Choral Scholar
Tram Sparks, a Choral and Sacred Music faculty member at USC Thornton, published an article in the Spring 2019 issue of Choral Scholar: The Online Journal of the National Collegiate Choral Organization. The article, “The Choral Conductor as Bard in Motion,” argues that expressive choral conducting is based on a “historical, philosophical, and artistic understanding… Continue reading Tram Sparks publishes article in Choral Scholar
USC Thornton Chamber Singers earn favorable reviews for performance with LACO
Last month, the USC Thornton Chamber Singers performed with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra during Jaime Martín’s anticipated debut as LACO’s Music Director-Designate. When Martín’s tenure officially starts in September, he will take over for USC Thornton professor Jeffrey Kahane, who ended a 20-year run as LACO’s Musical Director in 2016. The Los Angeles Times… Continue reading USC Thornton Chamber Singers earn favorable reviews for performance with LACO
LA Master Chorale performs Dale Trumbore’s composition
The Los Angeles Master Chorale performed USC Thornton alumna Dale Trumbore’s (MM ‘11) composition “How to Go On” on March 17 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Trumbore was also recently profiled in National Sawdust, where she discusses how she can easily switch from composing to writing in other mediums. “I’ve actually found that my… Continue reading LA Master Chorale performs Dale Trumbore’s composition
Tram Sparks named Associate Professor of Practice in the Choral & Sacred Music Program
After five years at USC Thornton as an adjunct associate professor, Tram Sparks has been named associate professor of practice in the Choral & Sacred Music Program. Prior to joining the USC faculty in 2015, Sparks taught for over ten years at Temple University Boyer College of Music & Dance, serving as associate professor and… Continue reading Tram Sparks named Associate Professor of Practice in the Choral & Sacred Music Program
Cristian Grases to present at 2020 World Symposium
Christian Grases, a USC Thornton Choral and Sacred Music faculty member, has been invited to present at the 2020 World Symposium on Choral Music in Auckland, New Zealand. This premier festival of choirs is hosted by a major city around the world every three years and is where the leading choirs, conductors, composers and administrators… Continue reading Cristian Grases to present at 2020 World Symposium
Kate Crellin to present research at ACDA Conference
Kate Crellin, a senior in the Choral & Sacred Music program, will present her research project “Transgender Students in the Choral Classroom: Creating Safe & Accepting Environment” at the 2019 National American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Conference that begins on Feb. 27 in Kansas City, Mo. For this project, she interviewed transgender singers to learn… Continue reading Kate Crellin to present research at ACDA Conference