Ron McCurdy Quartet performs with Pacific Symphony
USC Thornton Jazz Studies Department faculty member and assistant dean of the justice, equity, diversity and inclusion committee Ron McCurdy and his quartet play with the Pacific Symphony on Feb. 27 in a multimedia concert performance of Langston Hughes’ jazz poem suite Ask Your Mama: Twelve Moods for Jazz. Directed by artistic leader and principal… Continue reading Ron McCurdy Quartet performs with Pacific Symphony
Quenton Blache performs with the Peninsula Symphony with guest conductor Andrew Shulman
USC Thornton composition and cello performance student Quenton Blache performs with the Peninsula Symphony on Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. The concert will feature guest conductor Andrew Shulman, a USC Thornton Strings Department faculty member, who will be giving a pre-concert lecture at 6:15 p.m. Blache is an accomplished cellist and composer. In 2021, he… Continue reading Quenton Blache performs with the Peninsula Symphony with guest conductor Andrew Shulman
Justus Ross performs as part of concert celebrating Black creativity
USC Thornton strings alumnus Justus Ross is performing at Castle of our Skins’ inaugural Inter-Collegiate Black Student Union Fellowship concert, What is Black Creativity?, on Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. This performance is the capstone event of a five-month program in which Black students from the Longy School of Music, the New England Conservatory and… Continue reading Justus Ross performs as part of concert celebrating Black creativity
Vijay Venkatesh talks the importance of channeling life experience into his playing on The Playful Musician podcast
Vijay Venkatesh (‘17), an alumnus of the USC Thornton Keyboard Studies Department, was recently a guest on The Playful Musician podcast. During his conversation with host Steve Davidson, he spoke about the importance of channeling life experiences into his performances. “Channeling life experiences into a piece of music is also paramount to releasing its character.… Continue reading Vijay Venkatesh talks the importance of channeling life experience into his playing on The Playful Musician podcast
Reyna Gordon promoted to associate professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Vocal arts alum Dr. Reyna Gordon (BM ‘01) has been promoted to associate professor and awarded tenure in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery. Gordon currently serves as one of the co-directors of the Vanderbilt Music Cognition Lab, where she leads an interdisciplinary research program focused on musicality… Continue reading Reyna Gordon promoted to associate professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Jenny Wong codirects the LA Master Chorale in a program of works by Dale Trumbore, Saunder Choi and Zanaida Robles
USC Thornton Department of Choral & Sacred Music alum Jenny Wong (MM ‘13, DMA ‘17) will be co-directing the Los Angeles Master Chorale on Jan. 30. in City Called Heaven. The program, which takes its name from the famous African American spiritual, will explore themes of homecoming and aspiring toward paradise. It will feature works… Continue reading Jenny Wong codirects the LA Master Chorale in a program of works by Dale Trumbore, Saunder Choi and Zanaida Robles
Thornton alumni win Copland House Residencies
Thornton composition alumni Sarah Gibson (MM ‘10, DMA ‘15), Lansing McLoskey (MM ‘92) and Ali Can Puskulcu (MM ‘18) were selected from a pool of 221 composers as winners of the 2021 Copland House Residency Awards. Every year, the Copland House invites eight to ten American composers to reside at Rock Hill, Aaron Copland’s restored,… Continue reading Thornton alumni win Copland House Residencies
Julia Adolphe premieres violin concerto with LA Phil
Composition DMA student Julia Adolphe (MM ‘12) premiered a violin concerto, “Woven Loom, Silver Spindle,” with the LA Philarmonic in December. She collaborated closely with Martin Chalifour, the LA Phil’s principal concertmaster and a faculty member of the USC Thornton Strings program, on this piece during the 2020 lockdown. This is the second commission that… Continue reading Julia Adolphe premieres violin concerto with LA Phil
USC Thornton alumni and students named “composers and performers to watch” by The Washington Post
USC Thornton alumni and students were recently highlighted in The Washington Post’s round-up of 22 composers and performers to watch in 2022. This list includes current DMA student in composition Rohan Chander, as well as two alumni: choral composer Dale Trumbore (MM’11) and cellist and composer Paul Wiancko (‘05). The Washington Post said “this year’s… Continue reading USC Thornton alumni and students named “composers and performers to watch” by The Washington Post
Lenny Hayes performs virtual concert as part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration
Classical pianist and keyboard studies doctoral student Lenny Hayes will give a livestreamed performance Saturday, Jan. 15 at 2 p.m. as part of the Santa Monica Symphony’s Virtual Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Concert. The event also features a question-and-answer session with Hayes and Darlene Evans, chair of The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.… Continue reading Lenny Hayes performs virtual concert as part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration