Michael Abels interviewed by Jon Burlingame in Variety
USC Thornton Composition alumnus Michael Abels (BM ‘84) was interviewed in Variety about composers of color in the film industry by Thornton faculty member and music writer Jon Burlingame. Abels, one of the co-founders of the Composers Diversity Collective, spoke about the changes he has seen in Hollywood over the past years as race and… Continue reading Michael Abels interviewed by Jon Burlingame in Variety
Annie Gosfield wins American Academy of Arts and Letters Award
Annie Gosfield, USC Thornton alum and composer, has been named a winner of the American Academy of Arts and Letters Music Awards. Gosfield is one of the four composers awarded the Arts and Letters Awards in music. Each honoree will receive $10,000 award as well as an additional $10,000 to record their work. Their original… Continue reading Annie Gosfield wins American Academy of Arts and Letters Award
Luca Mendoza and Jon Hatamiya receive 2021 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award
Luca Mendoza, a student in the Composition program, and trombonist Jon Hatamiya (’16, jazz studies) have been awarded the 2021 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award. The award from the ASCAP Foundation and The Herb Alpert Foundation recognizes twenty young jazz musicians each year for their original compositions and arrangements. Each of the winners was… Continue reading Luca Mendoza and Jon Hatamiya receive 2021 Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award
New Opera West releases animated opera short
New Opera West, a nonprofit opera company co-founded by Vocal Arts doctoral student Emily Thebaut and Composition faculty member Mark Weiser, recently released “Pepito.” The animated dog opera written by Nicolas Lell Benavides, a doctoral student in the Composition program, is currently streaming on Vimeo. The work was animated by Esperanza Guevara, Connor Jacobs, and… Continue reading New Opera West releases animated opera short
Michael Tilson Thomas and Los Angeles Philharmonic win at 2021 GRAMMY Awards
The 63rd annual GRAMMY Awards, held virtually on Sunday, March 14, brought wins for faculty and alumni at USC Thornton. Celebrated conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, a Thornton alum and Judge Widney Professor at USC, won for Best Orchestral Performance for the San Francisco Symphony’s “Copland: Symphony No. 3.” And the many alumni and faculty who… Continue reading Michael Tilson Thomas and Los Angeles Philharmonic win at 2021 GRAMMY Awards
Morten Lauridsen named to Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center advisory board
Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Composition and Thornton alumnus Morten Lauridsen has been named as one of the Honorary Advisory Board Members of the Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center and will serve as a core member of the Honorary Board of Directors. Lauridsen is one of four prominent figures named to the new Board.… Continue reading Morten Lauridsen named to Oscar Hammerstein Museum and Theatre Education Center advisory board
Michael Tilson Thomas featured on PBS
Michael Tilson Thomas, a celebrated conductor, USC Thornton alum and current Judge Widney Professor of Music at USC, was recently featured in a video special on PBS about mentoring during the pandemic and working with the next generation of musicians. The special was a part of PBS NewsHour’s arts and culture series “CANVAS.” “All the… Continue reading Michael Tilson Thomas featured on PBS
LACO to premiere Luna Lab work by Anya Lagman
On Thursday, Feb. 11, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) will present the world premiere of a piece by sophomore Composition student Anya Lagman in a special “Luna Lab Meets LACO” online concert presented in partnership with the Kaufman Music Center in New York City. Lagman’s piece, “Unravel,” will be performed by LACO’s musicians alongside the… Continue reading LACO to premiere Luna Lab work by Anya Lagman
Adeliia Faizullina featured in The Washington Post
Adeliia Faizullina, a doctoral student in USC Thornton’s Composition program, was featured in an article in The Washington Post celebrating 21 “composers to watch” in 2021 who offer “exciting ways of imagining what our future together sounds like.” The article singles out two of Faizullina’s works as particular exemplars of her “elastic and evocative” work,… Continue reading Adeliia Faizullina featured in The Washington Post
Mark Weiser’s Music for Saxophone receives glowing reviews
USC Thornton Composition faculty member Mark Weiser’s album Music for Saxophone received glowing reviews from The Saxophone Symposium and The Saxophonist. In the most recent edition of The Saxophone Symposium, the journal of the North American Saxophone Alliance, Julia Nolan describes the album, featuring members of the Capitol Quartet, as “delightful,” “challenging,” and “wonderfully reflective.”… Continue reading Mark Weiser’s Music for Saxophone receives glowing reviews