Suzi Digby’s choral ensemble winds Opus Klassik award
The ORA Singers, a UK ensemble led by USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music faculty member Suzi Digby, recently earned Best Ensemble of the Year at the Opus Klassik Awards. The London-based ensemble, currently in residence at LSO St. Luke’s, earned the award for its Many Are the Wonders album, which features music by Thomas… Continue reading Suzi Digby’s choral ensemble winds Opus Klassik award
Pianist Yuhan Yeh earns silver at International Keyboard Odyssiad
Yuhan Yeh, a current doctoral candidate in the USC Thornton Keyboard Studies program and a student of Bernadene Blaha, recently won the silver medal in the concerto division of the International Keyboard Odyssiad Competition & Festival in Fort Collins, Colorado. The five day event features internationally-renowned guest artists and pianists in daily masterclasses and presentations… Continue reading Pianist Yuhan Yeh earns silver at International Keyboard Odyssiad
Alumnus Jules Pegram premieres new opera
USC Thornton alumnus Jules Pegram (BM ’13, Composition) recently composed, produced, and conducted two performances of Higher Ground, a sixty-minute, one act opera with a libretto by North Carolina-based writer Jim Whiteside. Scored for seven principal vocalists, SATB chorus, and chamber orchestra, the opera was fully staged on April 4 & 5, 2018 at the… Continue reading Alumnus Jules Pegram premieres new opera
Concerto Chamber Orchestra recruiting members
The Concerto Chamber Orchestra, a student-led ensemble for non-major musicians, will be holding auditions for performers of all orchestral instruments and skill levels, September 1st and 2nd, on the USC Thornton campus. The orchestra presents two popular concerts each semester. Interested students can email concertochamberorchestra@gmail.com to set up an audition time.
Pianist Derek Polischuk releases two albums, looks ahead to book launch
Pianist and USC Thornton alumnus Derek Polischuk (BM ’01, DMA ’06, Piano) has recently released two albums on the Blue Griffin label. It’s About Time, featuring trombonist Ava Ordman, includes music by female composers Andrea Clearfield, Lauren Bernofsky, Joelle Wallach, Karen Thomas, Ida Gotkovsky, Elizabeth Raum and Barbara York, while Anxiety Attack, with soprano Melanie… Continue reading Pianist Derek Polischuk releases two albums, looks ahead to book launch
Harpist Caroline Hales wins Music Academy’s Concerto Competition
Harpist Caroline Hales (BM ’16), a master’s candidate in the USC Thornton Strings program, recently won the Music Academy of the West’s 2018 Concerto Competition. Hales, who studies with JoAnn Turovsky, serves as principal harpist with the American Youth Symphony, the Debut Chamber Orchestra, and the USC Thornton Symphony. Winners of the Concerto Competition will… Continue reading Harpist Caroline Hales wins Music Academy’s Concerto Competition
Eric Pham
Eric Pham is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, recording producer and engineer based in Los Angeles. He received a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Production from Cal Poly Pomona, a Master of Music in Composition from the Bob Cole Conservatory at CSULB, and is currently working toward a Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition at USC. Having played… Continue reading Eric Pham
Faculty and alumni featured in summer opera productions across the country
Several USC Thornton faculty and alumni have enjoyed success on the opera stage this summer. Faculty member Ken Cazan, the USC Thornton Opera’s resident stage director, returned to Colorado’s Central City Opera to direct productions of Handel’s Acis and Galatea and Henry Mollicone’s 1978 chamber opera, The Face on the Barroom Floor. Starring as Galatea,… Continue reading Faculty and alumni featured in summer opera productions across the country
Greg Reitan receives Copland House residency award
Jazz pianist and film composer Greg Reitan (BM ’96, Composition), a USC Thornton alumnus, has been awarded a 2018 residency at the Copland House in New York state. The house, where Aaron Copland spent the last 30 years of his life, hosts selected composers for short-term, all-expenses-paid creative residencies each year. Reitan has worked as… Continue reading Greg Reitan receives Copland House residency award
Martin Chalifour to perform Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto at the Hollywood Bowl
Violinist Martin Chalifour, Principal Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) and a member of the USC Thornton Strings faculty, will perform Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 1, under the baton of Paolo Bortolameolli, at the Hollywood Bowl on August 2nd. Chalifour has spent much of the summer as a Valade Teaching Fellow and Valade… Continue reading Martin Chalifour to perform Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto at the Hollywood Bowl