Cellist Ralph Kirshbaum releases Beethoven album with pianist Shai Wosner
Cellist Ralph Kirshbaum, chair of the USC Thornton Strings department and artistic director of the Piatigorsky International Cello Festival, has released an album of Beethoven’s complete sonatas and variations for cello and piano with collaborator Shai Wosner. The two-disc set, which was released on December 9th by Onyx Classics, was recorded live at London’s Wigmore… Continue reading Cellist Ralph Kirshbaum releases Beethoven album with pianist Shai Wosner
USC Thornton comes in at #2 in latest “Hollywood Reporter” ranking
The Hollywood Reporter has again named USC Thornton on its list of the top music schools, ranking the school at number two in the world. The article, “Top 25 Music Schools, 2016” makes special mention of Thornton’s cutting-edge Screen Scoring program and its relationship to the Los Angeles music industry. Composer and Screen Scoring faculty… Continue reading USC Thornton comes in at #2 in latest “Hollywood Reporter” ranking
Juan Pablo Contreras wins Jalisco Orchestral Composition Prize
Juan Pablo Contreras, a doctoral candidate of the USC Thornton Composition program, recently won the Jalisco Orchestral Composition Prize with his work, Mariachitlán. Written under the guidance of Composition chair Donald Crockett, the work will be performed by the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra, under guest conductor Miguel Salmón de Real, on December 9 and 11, 2016.… Continue reading Juan Pablo Contreras wins Jalisco Orchestral Composition Prize
Musical America names Benjamin Mitchell and Christopher Koelsch “Professionals of the Year”
Musical America has named USC Thornton student Benjamin Mitchell as one of its “Professionals of the Year,” in a focus on artistic innovators and entrepreneurs. Mitchell, a clarinetist and GCRT candidate in the Arts Leadership program, founded the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, which is currently thriving in its third season. Christopher Koelsch, president and CEO of… Continue reading Musical America names Benjamin Mitchell and Christopher Koelsch “Professionals of the Year”
“The New Yorker” features Ted Hearne’s oratorio, “The Source”
The Source, a contemporary oratorio by composer and USC Thornton faculty member Ted Hearne, was a subject of “Modern Opera Thrives in L.A.,” an article in the December 12 issue of The New Yorker. Music critic Alex Ross wrote admiringly of Hearne’s “mesmerizing and disquieting collage of vocal, instrumental, and recorded sounds,” which was presented… Continue reading “The New Yorker” features Ted Hearne’s oratorio, “The Source”
Thornton Winners at Los Angeles International Liszt Competition
Several students of the USC Thornton Keyboard Studies department took prizes at the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition held last month at Azusa Pacific University. Hanbo Ma (pictured at left), a DMA candidate under professor Daniel Pollack, won the top prize in the prestigious Budapest Concert Division, earning a solo recital tour to Washington D.C.,… Continue reading Thornton Winners at Los Angeles International Liszt Competition
Jules Pegram receives award at ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop
Alumnus Jules Pegram (BM ’13, Composition) received the Harold Arlen Film & TV Award at the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Film Scoring Workshop this past summer. The workshop gives selected composers the opportunity to learn about music in the film industry from mentors who are studio executives, agents, attorneys, editors, and… Continue reading Jules Pegram receives award at ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop
Kristof Van Grysperre conducts New York City Opera production of “Fallujah”
Kristof Van Grysperre (MM ’02, Conducting, DMA ’05, Keyboard Collaborative Arts) made his New York City Opera debut conducting the November production of Fallujah, an opera by composer Tobin Stokes inspired by a U.S. Marine’s struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder after a tour of duty in Iraq. Van Grysperre also conducted the opera’s world premiere… Continue reading Kristof Van Grysperre conducts New York City Opera production of “Fallujah”
Eric Abramovitz joins alumnus Donald Foster in the Santa Barbara Symphony clarinet section
Clarinetist Eric Abramovitz, a USC Thornton Winds & Percussion graduate student of faculty member Yehuda Gilad, has won the 2nd/Eb clarinet position with the Santa Barbara Symphony. The ensemble also includes Thornton alumnus Donald T. Foster (MM ’96) as the principal clarinet.
Violinist, alumna Elizabeth Pitcairn performs on Trojan Vision
Violinist and USC Thornton Strings alumna Elizabeth Pitcairn (’02) recently appeared on Trojan Vision’s nightly talk show, CU@USC. Pitcairn discussed the history behind her legendary 1720 Red Mendelssohn Stradivarius violin and then performed with the instrument. close In her career as a soloist, Pitcairn has performed in concert halls such as the Kimmel Center, Carnegie… Continue reading Violinist, alumna Elizabeth Pitcairn performs on Trojan Vision