Bill Biersach’s Beatles class profiled in Daily Trojan
USC Thornton faculty member Bill Biersach and his class The Beatles: Their Music and Their Times was profiled in the Daily Trojan. The article discusses how Biersach has evolved the course since he created it over 20 years ago. The class is immensely popular with students, and Biersach refers to it as his “one really… Continue reading Bill Biersach’s Beatles class profiled in Daily Trojan
Billy Childs to headline festival in New Zealand
Billy Childs ’79, a GRAMMY Award-winning artist and USC Thornton alumnus, will headline the 24th annual New Zealand International Jazz and Blues Festival on June 1. He will perform with his quartet alongside Dayna Stephens on saxophone, bassist Alex Boneham and drummer Christian Euman. The five-day, 26-show festival is one of New Zealand’s longest-running music… Continue reading Billy Childs to headline festival in New Zealand
India Anderson selected as first female drum major of Trojan Marching Band
USC Thornton undergraduate India Anderson was selected as the 2019-2020 drum major of the USC Trojan Marching Band. For the first time in its over 100-year history, the Spirit of Troy will be led by a woman. “I think it’s just great to have the leader of the band be a woman,” Anderson told Annenberg… Continue reading India Anderson selected as first female drum major of Trojan Marching Band
Argus Quartet performs in Detroit
The Argus Quartet was recently invited by the Chamber Music Society of Detroit to perform two performances with the Juilliard String Quartet in the Detroit metro area. The Argus Quartet includes USC Thornton alumni Clara Kim (DM ’15, violin) and Jason Issokan (MM ’10, violin), along with violist Dana Kelley and cellist Jo Whang. As… Continue reading Argus Quartet performs in Detroit
Ted Hearne featured on WFMT
USC Thornton Composition faculty member and Chicago native Ted Hearne was interviewed on Chicago’s WFMT. He discussed how his incorporation of politics and social justice issues into his music stem from his many years of singing with the Chicago Children’s Choir. Hearne describes the choir as an “activist organization,” made up of diverse students from… Continue reading Ted Hearne featured on WFMT
José Gonzalez Granero premieres composition
USC Thornton alumnus José Gonzalez Granero (GRCT ’09) premiered his composition “Gion Overture” with the Emporia Symphony Orchestra last week. Granero, who is the Principal Clarinetist for the San Francisco Opera Orchestra, wrote the piece based on the historical neighborhood of Gion in Kyoto, Japan.
Andrew Harley appointed Director of Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music at Eastman
USC Thornton alumnus Andrew Harley (DMA ’97) recently was appointed the Director of Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music at Eastman School of Music. After earning degrees at Oxford University and the Royal Northern College of Music, Harley arrived at USC to study piano with USC Thornton Professor Emeritus John Perry. While on campus he also… Continue reading Andrew Harley appointed Director of Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music at Eastman
Echo Wang showcased in Emerging Artist Concert for Verde Valley Sinfonietta
The Verde Valley Sinfonietta showcased pianist and USC Thornton Keyboard Studies student Echo Wang in its annual Emerging Artists Concert earlier this month in Sedona, Ariz. Wang performed Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor with the orchestra, under the direction of Kevin Kozacek.
Celka Ojakangas wins grant from Opera America
Celka Ojakangas, a DMA candidate in Composition, was one of eight recipients of Opera America’s 2019 Opera Grant for Female Composers. This grant will go towards her opera Mirror Game which examines issues of gender bias through the journey of an ambitious female video game designer. Celka and her librettist, Amy Punt, initially workshopped the… Continue reading Celka Ojakangas wins grant from Opera America
Michael Abels lauded for score of Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’
Composer and USC Thornton alumnus Michael Abels ’84 was recently profiled on NPR for his score of Jordan Peele’s new horror movie, Us. NPR praises Abel for balancing terror with empathy, and Peele claims it is Abels’ heart that makes him a great horror scorer. Abels and Peele first collaborated on the Oscar-winning 2017 film Get… Continue reading Michael Abels lauded for score of Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’