Guitarist Mak Grgić to tour with k.d. lang
Classical guitarist Mak Grgić (MM ’12, DMA ’16), a graduate certificate candidate at USC Thornton and an alumnus of the school’s Arts Leadership program, will open for k.d. lang during the artist’s Fall tour across the American South. Beginning September 7th, Grgić will perform on lang’s Ingénue Redux Tour in nine cities, closing the tour… Continue reading Guitarist Mak Grgić to tour with k.d. lang
Choral & Sacred Music students find professional success
Several graduate students of the USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music program have recently brought their work to larger audiences. DMA candidate Irene Apanovitch-Leites presented at the Canadian Choral Directors’ Summer Conference in late June. She will bring her presentation, “How Do Singers Relate: Exploring the Connection Between Empathy and Choral Singing,” to the ACDA… Continue reading Choral & Sacred Music students find professional success
Alumnus Carlos Rafael Rivera receives two Emmy nominations
Composer and USC Thornton alumnus Carlos Rafael Rivera (MM ’04, DMA ’10) has received two Emmy Award nominations for his work on the Netflix limited series, Godless. Rivera’s music has been nominated in the categories of Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music and Outstanding Music Composition for a Limited Series, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic… Continue reading Alumnus Carlos Rafael Rivera receives two Emmy nominations
Ted Hearne premieres new work with Michael Tilson Thomas and the National Youth Symphony
On Thursday, July 19th, the National Youth Orchestra of the USA will premiere a new work by composer and USC Thornton faculty member Ted Hearne, under the baton of alumnus Michael Tilson Thomas (BM ’67, MM ’76), a Judge Widney Professor of Music at USC. Hearne’s Brass Tacks was commissioned by Carnegie Hall, where the… Continue reading Ted Hearne premieres new work with Michael Tilson Thomas and the National Youth Symphony
Pianist Robert Thies named Artistic Director of South Bay Chamber Music Society
Pianist Robert Thies (BM ’93, MM ’95), an alumnus of the USC Thornton Keyboard Studies program, has been appointed Artistic Director of the South Bay Chamber Music Society, which presents about 15 concerts each season in venues across the South Bay. Thies won the Gold Medal at the Second International Prokofiev Competition in 1995 and… Continue reading Pianist Robert Thies named Artistic Director of South Bay Chamber Music Society
Michael Lee premieres chamber work with New Orleans Chamber Orchestra
In June, composer and USC Thornton alumnus Michael Lee’s (DMA ’17) chamber work for strings and piano, Echoes for Strings and Piano, received its world premiere at the Marigny Opera House by the New Orleans Chamber Orchestra. Lee was the winner of the ensemble’s Spectri Sonori Composition Competition. Lee’s 2015 work for classical guitar, Unmasked,… Continue reading Michael Lee premieres chamber work with New Orleans Chamber Orchestra
Alumnus Andrew Goldman publishes neurological research about improvisational musicianship
Andrew Goldman (’08), a piano performance and neuroscience alumnus of USC Thornton and USC Dornsife, recently published a research paper, “Improvisation experience predicts how musicians categorize musical structures,” in the Psychology of Music journal. Goldman, who earned his PhD from the University of Cambridge, is currently a Presidential Scholar in Society and Neuroscience at Columbia… Continue reading Alumnus Andrew Goldman publishes neurological research about improvisational musicianship
Composer, exchange student Tuomas Kettunen shares collaborative work
Finnish composer Tuomas Kettunen, a master’s student at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, recently concluded a semester as an exchange student at USC Thornton, where he studied with Donald Crockett and took classes in orchestration, game scoring, and music technology. Kettunen shared the fruits of his work from the Writer-Composer class, led by Lisa Sylvester,… Continue reading Composer, exchange student Tuomas Kettunen shares collaborative work
Troy Quinn named music director of Venice Symphony
Troy Quinn (DMA ’14), a member of the USC Thornton Conducting faculty and a graduate of the school’s Choral & Sacred Music program, has been selected as music director of the Venice Symphony Orchestra in Venice, Florida. Quinn, who conducted May concerts with the orchestra featuring Thornton faculty member and former concertmaster of the New… Continue reading Troy Quinn named music director of Venice Symphony
Jeffrey Kahane premieres Sirota septet at the Sarasota Music Festival
Pianist Jeffrey Kahane, a member of the USC Thornton Keyboard Studies faculty, recently concluded his second year as music director of the Sarasota Music Festival with the world premiere of Robert Sirota’s Luminous Bodies septet, in collaboration with the yMusic ensemble. The work’s title refers to the composers that influenced Sirota, including Gershwin, Copland, Bernstein,… Continue reading Jeffrey Kahane premieres Sirota septet at the Sarasota Music Festival