Grant Gershon to be honored at 84th USC Alumni Awards
On April 22, 2017, the USC Alumni Association will honor seven distinguished alumni, including conductor and USC Thornton Board of Councilors member Grant Gershon (’85, piano), at the 84th annual Alumni Awards. Gershon is Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Resident Conductor of the Los Angeles Opera, and has emerged as one of… Continue reading Grant Gershon to be honored at 84th USC Alumni Awards
Midori Goto leads string quartet outreach tour to Nepal
Throughout the latter half of December, Midori Goto, Jascha Heifetz Chair in Violin at USC Thornton, will be bringing the gift of music to the people of Nepal. Touring the country as part of the International Community Engagement Program (ICEP), an offshoot of Midori’s nonprofit MUSIC SHARING organization, the violinist will lead a string quartet… Continue reading Midori Goto leads string quartet outreach tour to Nepal
Student Shou Ping Liu selected for conducting master class in Denmark
Shou Ping Liu, a doctoral candidate in the USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music program has been selected to participate in the Nordic Master Class in Instrumental Conducting in Sønderborg, Denmark, this January. Liu will be the only participant from an American school. At the conclusion of the masterclass, which will be led by professor… Continue reading Student Shou Ping Liu selected for conducting master class in Denmark
Drew Mikuška wins ASCAP Screen Scoring scholarship
Drew Mikuška (BM ’14, composition), a graduate student in the USC Thornton Screen Scoring program, was recently honored by the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP) Foundation with the Betty Rose Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded annually to an exceptional Screen Scoring student who will receive intensive mentorship sessions with a prominent screen… Continue reading Drew Mikuška wins ASCAP Screen Scoring scholarship
Calder Quartet takes on notorious Morton Feldman work
The Calder Quartet, which includes USC Thornton alumni Benjamin Jacobson (BM’01, MM’07, violin), Andrew Bulbrook (BM ’02, violin), Jonathan Moerschel (BM ’01, MM ’03, viola) and Eric Byers (BM ’03, cello), recently performed Morton Feldman’s notorious String Quartet No. 2 at the Met Cloisters museum in New York City. The piece is five hours in… Continue reading Calder Quartet takes on notorious Morton Feldman work
Bill Biersach receives award for SH[eye]N band
Faculty member Bill Biersach of the USC Thornton Composition department has received a Silver Medal from the Global Music Awards for his improvisational jam band, SH[eye]N. The band, which includes Biersach on Chapman Stick and Ralph Loynachan on percussion, won distinction for “virtuosic improvisation, album and creativity/originality” for its recent album, “Opus 10: Big Percolator.”
Nick Strimple receives German-American Friendship Award
The legacy of Choral & Sacred Music faculty member Nick Strimple was recently celebrated in a special 70th birthday concert at the Adat Ari El Synagogue. Over a dozen USC Thornton student and alumni musicians, as well as the Los Angeles Zimriyah Chorale and the Beverly Hills High School Minnesingers, performed Strimple’s choral works, including… Continue reading Nick Strimple receives German-American Friendship Award
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