Twelve Thornton students and alumni among winners of 2020-2021 Beverly Hills National Auditions
Winners of the 2020-2021 Beverly Hills National Auditions (BHNA) were recently announced, and among them are a long list of 12 students and alumni of USC Thornton. Each year, the BHNA selects winners to be presented the following season in a series of monthly concerts across Southern California. In consideration of restrictions on in-person events,… Continue reading Twelve Thornton students and alumni among winners of 2020-2021 Beverly Hills National Auditions
Thornton alumni to appear in Comic-Con@Home online game show
Sunday, July 26, three USC Thornton alumni will appear on a panel event for this year’s online-only Comic-Con, Comic-Con@Home. The live online event is a game show-style panel called Composer Squares Game Show, in the style of Hollywood Squares, and will feature alumni composers Jongnic Bontemps (GCRT ’12), Christopher Lennertz (BM ’95), and Giona Ostinelli… Continue reading Thornton alumni to appear in Comic-Con@Home online game show
Students to perform work by Juhi Bansal in LA Opera educational program
Los Angeles area students will learn and perform an opera by Composition alum Juhi Bansal (BM ’06, MM ’08, DMA ’12) in the upcoming season of LA Opera’s Secondary In-School Opera program. The remote workshops are an opportunity for students to sharpen their theatrical skills with a contemporary work. Bansal’s opera, “Enchantress of Numbers,” explores… Continue reading Students to perform work by Juhi Bansal in LA Opera educational program
USC Thornton’s Concerto Chamber Orchestra presents The Carnival of the Animals
USC Thornton’s Concerto Chamber Orchestra, a student-run ensemble, is presenting a 14-day summer festival featuring a virtual performance of “The Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint-Saëns. Between July 18-31, the ensemble will release a movement each day, culminating in a livestream of the full piece on July 31 at 6:00 pm (PST). The project… Continue reading USC Thornton’s Concerto Chamber Orchestra presents The Carnival of the Animals
Michael Abels and Ludwig Göransson featured in LA Times
USC Thornton alumni and award-winning composers Michael Abels (BM ’84) and Ludwig Göransson (GCRT ‘08) were recently featured in an LA Times article looking ahead to the 2020 Emmy Awards and the standout composers for television who may be poised for top honors. Abels is highlighted for his score for the HBO series “Bad Education,”… Continue reading Michael Abels and Ludwig Göransson featured in LA Times
Jim Self interviewed on podcast Chicago Music Revealed
Winds & Percussion faculty member and tuba player Jim Self was recently interviewed on the music podcast Chicago Music Revealed. In the episode, Self discusses his long career as a studio musician for films such as Jurassic Park and King Kong, as well as his recent album and history of collaboration with guitarist John Chiodini.… Continue reading Jim Self interviewed on podcast Chicago Music Revealed
Three Thornton artists join Yellow Barn Summer Artist Residency concert series
Three students and alumni of USC Thornton will appear as artists in residence at Yellow Barn this summer and perform in the organization’s first-ever virtual concert series: cellist and graduate certificate student Coleman Itzkoff (MM ’16); cellist Gabriel Martins (BM ’19); and clarinetist and artist diploma student Yasmina Spiegelberg (GCRT ’17). The three musicians will… Continue reading Three Thornton artists join Yellow Barn Summer Artist Residency concert series
Patrice Rushen and Thornton alumni invited into the Academy
Patrice Rushen, chair of the Popular Music program at USC Thornton, along with three Thornton alumni—Chanda Dancy (GCRT ’04), Roger Neill (BM ’86), and Jermaine Stegall (GCRT ’04)—have been invited into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Rushen’s classic song “Forget Me Nots” was sampled for Will Smith’s “Men in Black,” from the… Continue reading Patrice Rushen and Thornton alumni invited into the Academy
Martin Chalifour leads drive-in classical music concerts
Martin Chalifour, concertmaster of the LA Phil and a faculty member in the Strings program, will lead two drive-in strings concerts presented by San Diego-based organization Mainly Mozart on July 11. Chalifour had the idea to host a drive-in classical music concert as an innovative way to allow audiences to safely enjoy live music, and… Continue reading Martin Chalifour leads drive-in classical music concerts
Thornton Alumni receive ASCAP 2020 Screen Music Awards
Multiple alumni of USC Thornton received awards and nominations for the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) 2020 Screen Music Awards, honoring the accomplishments of composers for film, television and video games from 2019. Bear McCreary (BM ’02) and Gordy Haab (GCRT ’02) received top honors in the Composers’ Choice categories. McCreary was… Continue reading Thornton Alumni receive ASCAP 2020 Screen Music Awards