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
Jeffrey Kahane profiled in the Wall Street Journal
USC Thornton faculty member Jeffrey Kahane was profiled in the April 17 issue of the Wall Street Journal about his 20 years as music director of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO). In May, at the conclusion of the orchestra’s 2016-17 season, Kahane will retire from LACO to teach in Thornton’s Keyboard Studies program full time.… Continue reading Jeffrey Kahane profiled in the Wall Street Journal
Classical Guitarist Michael Kudirka profiled for Adès collaboration
Internationally acclaimed guitarist and USC Thornton alumnus Michael Kudirka (’04, DMA, ’12) was the subject of a feature profile in the spring 2017 issue of Classical Guitar Magazine, exploring his collaboration with composer Thomas Adès. The duo worked together on a “guitar aria” for Adès’ surrealist opera, The Exterminating Angel, which is based on the… Continue reading Classical Guitarist Michael Kudirka profiled for Adès collaboration
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
Pacific Symphony performance with Peter Boyer to be broadcast on PBS
Ellis Island: The Dream of America, a multimedia orchestral work by composer and USC Thornton alumnus Peter Boyer (GCRT ’96, SMPTV) was the centerpiece of the Pacific Symphony’s recent American Composers Festival from April 6-8. Conducted by music director and USC Thornton faculty member Carl St.Clair, the GRAMMY-nominated piece incorporates narration and projected imagery to… Continue reading Pacific Symphony performance with Peter Boyer to be broadcast on PBS
Composition grad student Peter Shin awarded Fulbright
Peter Shin, a master’s student in the USC Thornton Composition program, was recently awarded a Fulbright Scholarship that will allow him to travel to South Korea to study local musical forms. In the process, he plans to create new orchestral compositions that will draw on his Korean research. This summer, Shin will join professor emeritus… Continue reading Composition grad student Peter Shin awarded Fulbright
Compositions students, alumni shine in ASCAP Foundation awards
USC Thornton Composition students and alumni comprised six of the nineteen recipients of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Foundation 2017 Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, which were announced March 30. The winners include Composition doctoral candidate Julia Adolphe (MM ’12), graduate student Tommy Dougherty, and Composition alumni Saad Haddad (BM ’14),… Continue reading Compositions students, alumni shine in ASCAP Foundation awards
Thomas Kotcheff and the Argus Quartet team for music video
Thomas Kotcheff (MM ’12, composition), a doctoral candidate in the USC Thornton Composition program, recently collaborated with the Argus Quartet to create a music video of his work, scratch cradle. The quartet, which includes alumni violinists Jason Issokson (MM’10) and Clara Kim (DMA ’15), along with violist Dana Kelley and cellist Joann Whang, originally commissioned… Continue reading Thomas Kotcheff and the Argus Quartet team for music video
Thomas Michael Allen
Lyric Tenor Thomas Michael Allen has enjoyed an international singing career that has spanned over two decades. Allen has performed at Théatre des Champs-Élyées in Paris, Zurich Opera, Staatsoper Berlin, La Monnaie in Brussels, Grand Théatre de Genève, Baden-Baden Easter Festival, Opéra de Lyon, Opéra de Monte Carlo, de Nederlandse Opera, Stuttgart Opera, Cincinnati Opera,… Continue reading Thomas Michael Allen