Ron McCurdy Quartet performs with Pacific Symphony
USC Thornton Jazz Studies Department faculty member and assistant dean of the justice, equity, diversity and inclusion committee Ron McCurdy and his quartet play with the Pacific Symphony on Feb. 27 in a multimedia concert performance of Langston Hughes’ jazz poem suite Ask Your Mama: Twelve Moods for Jazz. Directed by artistic leader and principal… Continue reading Ron McCurdy Quartet performs with Pacific Symphony
The Golden Bridge premieres works from USC Thornton faculty and alumni
During a concert on Feb. 19, The Golden Bridge — a 20-member choral group led by USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music Department faculty member Suzi Digby — will premiere works by fellow choral faculty member Nick Strimple and Thornton alumnus Saunder Choi (MM ‘16). The program includes the world premieres of “The Silver Swan”… Continue reading The Golden Bridge premieres works from USC Thornton faculty and alumni
Quenton Blache performs with the Peninsula Symphony with guest conductor Andrew Shulman
USC Thornton composition and cello performance student Quenton Blache performs with the Peninsula Symphony on Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. The concert will feature guest conductor Andrew Shulman, a USC Thornton Strings Department faculty member, who will be giving a pre-concert lecture at 6:15 p.m. Blache is an accomplished cellist and composer. In 2021, he… Continue reading Quenton Blache performs with the Peninsula Symphony with guest conductor Andrew Shulman
Popular music sophomore Alix Page on tour with Gracie Abrams
Alix Page, a sophomore in the Popular Music program, is opening for Interscope artist Gracie Abrams on the North American leg of her This Is What It Feels Like tour this winter. Page has been recognized for her songwriting and artistry by outlets such as Ones to Watch, and she released her debut EP Old… Continue reading Popular music sophomore Alix Page on tour with Gracie Abrams
Austin Wintory nominated for 2022 Society of Composers & Lyricists Award
USC Thornton Composition program alum Austin Wintory (‘07) is nominated for a 2022 Society of Composers & Lyricists Award for his work on the multiplayer third-person shooter game Aliens: Fireteam Elite. Wintory is best known for his score for the game Journey, which was the first GRAMMY-nominated computer game score. He has also scored nearly… Continue reading Austin Wintory nominated for 2022 Society of Composers & Lyricists Award
Alex Nickson
As senior vice president of television music for DreamWorks Animation, Alex Nickson oversees the musical creative direction for the studio’s rapidly growing slate of original television projects, including content for Netflix, Apple TV+, Peacock, Amazon, Hulu and other leading broadcasters around the world. Some of the most recent series include Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, Gabby’s Dollhouse, The… Continue reading Alex Nickson
Marcello Carelli releases debut album
Marcello Carelli, a master’s student in the USC Thornton Jazz Studies Department, releases his debut album, The Era, on Feb. 11. The album is a culmination of Carelli’s first four years as a composer and features seven original compositions.
Jon Burlingame wins 2021 ASCAP Award for penning Midnight Cowboy essay
Last year, Jon Burlingame, a faculty member in USC Thornton’s Screen Scoring program, received the ASCAP Foundation Paul Williams “Loved the Liner Notes” Award for his 4,000-word essay that was included in an expanded reissue of the Midnight Cowboy film soundtrack. Burlingame is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on movie music… Continue reading Jon Burlingame wins 2021 ASCAP Award for penning Midnight Cowboy essay
Gretchen Parlato joins the SFJAZZ Collective
GRAMMY-nominated vocalist and USC Thornton alum Gretchen Parlato (GCRT ‘03) recently joined the SFJAZZ Collective, an eight-person jazz ensemble and democratic composer’s workshop. She made her debut with the group, along with two other new members, at the SFJAZZ Center in late October. Parlato is the sole soloist amongst a band of instrumentalists, a situation… Continue reading Gretchen Parlato joins the SFJAZZ Collective
Jazz Studies faculty and alumni collaborated with Michael Bublé on chart-topping holiday album
This month, Michael Bublé’s tenth anniversary edition of Let It Snow! topped Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Charts. The album features arrangements by Thornton Jazz Studies Department Chair Jason Goldman (BM ’04) and features several Thornton alumni including pianist Alan Chang (BM ’02), trumpeter Bryan Lipps and drummer Robert Perkins (BM ’97, MM ’02). USC Thornton faculty… Continue reading Jazz Studies faculty and alumni collaborated with Michael Bublé on chart-topping holiday album