Inaugural Angela Meade Vocal Competition Established
Soprano and USC Thornton alumna Angela Meade (MM ’04) established the Angela Meade Vocal Competition at Pacific Lutheran University this January. After an initial review of all applicants, six finalists performed two songs in this public competition finale. Three winners were announced and were awarded up to $1000 and a trip to the east coast… Continue reading Inaugural Angela Meade Vocal Competition Established
LACO premieres new commission by Juan Pablo Contreras
This week, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) will premiere composer and USC Thornton DMA student Juan Pablo Contreras’ new piano quintet, Musas Mexicanas. The two-night debut will take place Thursday, Feb. 13 at Santa Monica’s Moss Theater and Friday, Feb. 15 at The Huntington in San Marino. Commissioned as part of LACO’s In Focus series… Continue reading LACO premieres new commission by Juan Pablo Contreras
Sharon Lavery performs at Carnegie Hall and leads Missouri All-State Symphony
Sharon Lavery, resident conductor of the USC Thornton Orchestra program, conducted the High School Honors Performance Series Band at Carnegie Hall on Sunday, February 10 as part of the 2019 Honors Performance Series. The series brings rising young performers together with renowned conductors to perform at Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House. Lavery also… Continue reading Sharon Lavery performs at Carnegie Hall and leads Missouri All-State Symphony
Michael Christ Powers appointed as Orchestra Director at Westridge School
USC Thornton alumnus Michael Christ Powers (MM ’05) was named Orchestra Director of the Westridge School in Pasadena, Calif. This March, he will take the Westridge Chamber Orchestra to Italy. Additionally, on January 19, Powers was the Star Guest Conductor with the Philharmonic Society’s Orange County Youth Symphony in a subscription concert for families and… Continue reading Michael Christ Powers appointed as Orchestra Director at Westridge School
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
Max Opferkuch wins Pasadena Showcase Instrumental Competition
Clarinetist Max Opferkuch, an undergraduate at USC Thornton and the principal clarinetist in the student-run USC Concerto Chamber Orchestra, won the Grand Prize of the 33rd Pasadena Showcase Instrumental Competition. As part of his prize, he received $6000 to support his studies. The showcase for string, woodwind and brass music students from Southern California aged… Continue reading Max Opferkuch wins Pasadena Showcase Instrumental Competition
Jeffrey Kahane recreates Beethoven’s iconic marathon concert
Jeffrey Kahane, USC Thornton professor of Keyboard Studies, led the Sacramento Philharmonic in a concert paying homage to Beethoven’s famous marathon concert of 1808, which featured the world premieres of his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies, his Mass in C, and his Choral Fantasy, among others. In addition to conducting, Kahane also performed the piano solos… Continue reading Jeffrey Kahane recreates Beethoven’s iconic marathon concert
Vicki Ray earns rave reviews for her solo performance
Pianist and USC Thornton alumna Vicki Ray (DMA ’88) received a rave review from SF Classical Voice for her January 16 performance at CalArts REDCAT in downtown Los Angeles. Ray performed a solo concert featuring two works with the accompaniment of visual projections by artist Carole Kim. The review described Ray as “stealing the show.”
Yoko Rosenbaum presents research at National Collegiate Research Conference
Yoko Rosenbaum, a sophomore double major in Piano Performance at USC Thornton and Philosophy, Politics, and Law at USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, presented at the 2019 National Collegiate Research Conference, the nation’s largest student-run research conference, at Harvard University from January 24-26. Rosenbaum’s looked at the lives and works of renowned… Continue reading Yoko Rosenbaum presents research at National Collegiate Research Conference
Callisto Trio earns standing ovation in Amsterdam
Keyboard Studies master’s student Katelyn Vahala (’18), and alumna cellist Annie Jacobs-Perkins ’18, are currently touring the Netherlands and Slovakia with the Callisto Piano Trio, which also features violinist Geneva Lewis. On Jan. 13, the trio earned a standing ovation for their performance of Schoenfield, Ives and Dvořák at Amsterdam’s famed concert hall, the Royal… Continue reading Callisto Trio earns standing ovation in Amsterdam