Keri Hui wins first prize in Cœur d’Alene Symphony Young Artist Competition
Senior Keri Hui (BM ’15) was awarded first prize in the Cœur d’Alene Symphony Young Artist Competition in Idaho for her piano performance of Camille Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No.5. In addition to winning the competition, Hui was asked to perform with the orchestra in March. Hui, a student of Thornton faculty Norman Krieger, previously took… Continue reading Keri Hui wins first prize in Cœur d’Alene Symphony Young Artist Competition
Aram Arakelyan accepted into the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar
USC Thornton DMA student Aram Arakelyan was accepted into the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar this summer in Potsdam, New York. Through a nation-wide audition process, Arakelyan was one of only six singers and three pianists selected for the program. The one-week intensive seminar aims to teach artist-level performers how to pursue the artistry of… Continue reading Aram Arakelyan accepted into the Fall Island Vocal Arts Seminar
Jacquelynne Fontaine starring as Carlotta Giudicelli in the North American tour of Phantom of the Opera
USC Thornton alumna Jacquelynne Fontaine (MM ’08) is starring as Carlotta Giudicelli in the North American tour of Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Phantom of the Opera. Fontaine has appeared in many productions including The King and I, La Boheme and The Sound of Music. The tour began this January in Florida and will stop in… Continue reading Jacquelynne Fontaine starring as Carlotta Giudicelli in the North American tour of Phantom of the Opera
Andrew Norman evokes Frank Gehry’s iconic Santa Monica home in a new work, “Frank’s House”
USC Thornton faculty Andrew Norman was profiled in the Los Angeles Times about “Frank’s House,” a new piece the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra will premiere on Thursday, Feb. 5, in a sold-out concert. The new piece, for four musicians, tries to evoke the iconic Gehry home in Santa Monica that the architect bought in 1978… Continue reading Andrew Norman evokes Frank Gehry’s iconic Santa Monica home in a new work, “Frank’s House”
Mark Weiser wins ASCAP’s Rudolf Nissim Prize
USC Thornton faculty Mark Weiser was named the recipient of the 35th annual ASCAP Foundation Rudolf Nissim Prize. The prize was awarded for his Symphony No. 2 (Sinfonia Magalhães), a 30-minute work of orchestra. The Prize is presented annually to an ASCAP concert composer for a work requiring a conductor that has not been performed… Continue reading Mark Weiser wins ASCAP’s Rudolf Nissim Prize
Jeffrey Kahane
Acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Kahane joined the USC Thornton Keyboard Studies Department faculty part-time in 2015 and became a full-time professor in 2016 following a 20-year run as music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO), the longest of any music director in the ensemble’s history. Equally at home at the keyboard or on the podium, Kahane… Continue reading Jeffrey Kahane
Classical Guitar alum Cameron O’Connor a finalist in the Tokyo International Guitar Competition
Classical guitar alum Cameron O’Connor, who recently completed his DMA, was a finalist in the Tokyo International Guitar Competition. O’Connor, who studied with Bill Kanengiser, made his Lincoln Center debut in 2009 under the baton of Academy Award-winning composer Tan Dun, performing Concerto for Six, an ensemble piece which mixes Western and Eastern musical idioms.… Continue reading Classical Guitar alum Cameron O’Connor a finalist in the Tokyo International Guitar Competition
Ted Hearne
A composer, performer, singer, and bandleader, Ted Hearne draws on a wide breadth of musical and artistic influences to create intense, personal, and multi-dimensional works. The Los Angeles Times wrote: “No single artist embodies the post-genre Brooklyn scene, but Hearne may be its most zealous auteur.” In the past season, Hearne has written new works… Continue reading Ted Hearne
Tram Sparks
Tram Sparks (she/her) is professor of practice at the USC Thornton School of Music and served as Choral Music Department Chair from 2022-2025. Recent artistic highlights include conducting the USC Thornton Chamber Singers in a performance of Ellen Reid’s Oscillations: One Hundred Years and Forever at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s 2024 Noon to Midnight Festival. In February… Continue reading Tram Sparks
Ken Cazan reviewed in Los Angeles Times for revival of Tobias Picker’s “Therese Raquin”
USC Thornton faculty Ken Cazan, chair of the Vocal Arts program and resident stage director of USC Thornton Opera, revived Tobias Picker’s Therese Raquin last weekend at the Warner Grand Theatre in San Pedro with the Long Beach Opera. A Los Angeles Times article praised Cazan’s production for being “naturalistic, focused and unfussy, true to… Continue reading Ken Cazan reviewed in Los Angeles Times for revival of Tobias Picker’s “Therese Raquin”