
Donald Crockett conducts piano quartet of Thornton alumni and faculty for MicroFest at The Wende Museum
USC Thornton Composition Program Chair Donald Crockett will conduct USC Thornton alumni Vicki Ray (DMA ’88), Steven Vanhauwaert (MM ’06, GCRT ’08) and Sarah Gibson (MM ’10, DMA ’15) and Thornton faculty member Aron Kallay in Ivan Wyschnegradsky’s “Music for Four Quarter-Tone Pianos” at MicroFest on June 3 at the Wende Museum. MicroFest is the… Continue reading Donald Crockett conducts piano quartet of Thornton alumni and faculty for MicroFest at The Wende Museum

Rod Gilfry makes debut as Claudius in Brett Dean’s “Hamlet” at The Met
On May 13, two-time GRAMMY nominee and Thornton Vocal Arts & Opera faculty member Rod Gilfry debuted as Claudius in the Metropolitan Opera Company premiere of Australian composer Brett Dean’s Hamlet, a bold adaptation of Shakespeare’s timeless drama. Gilfry is an acclaimed worldwide performer in opera, musicals and cabaret. Throughout his career, he has performed… Continue reading Rod Gilfry makes debut as Claudius in Brett Dean’s “Hamlet” at The Met

Yura Lee named principal violist of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
USC Thornton Strings Department Associate Professor of Practice Yura Lee was appointed principal violist of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO). Lee assumes her new post in the 2022-23 season. Lee is a recipient of the Lincoln Center’s prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, and at age 12, she became the youngest artist to ever receive… Continue reading Yura Lee named principal violist of Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra

USC Thornton faculty Beatriz Ilari and Veronika Krausas receive Advancing Scholarship awards
USC Thornton faculty members Veronika Krausas and Beatriz Illari were awarded by Advancing Scholarship in the Humanities and Social Sciences (ASHSS). The ASHSS research and creative project grants program, an initiative of the USC Office of the Provost, promotes the development of innovative and influential scholarly and creative output in the arts, humanities and humanistic… Continue reading USC Thornton faculty Beatriz Ilari and Veronika Krausas receive Advancing Scholarship awards

LA Phil performs piece by alumnus and former Thornton Composition program faculty member Andrew Norman
The LA Phil will perform Play: Level 1, a work by USC Thornton alumnus and former composition program faculty member Andrew Norman, on April 23 and 24. This pair of concerts is part of the LA Phil’s Gen X Festival, a series that takes a “multidisciplinary, multi-genre look at the slackers, hackers and latch-key kids… Continue reading LA Phil performs piece by alumnus and former Thornton Composition program faculty member Andrew Norman

Veronika Krausas composition featured in LA Phil’s Voices of a Generation concert
A work by USC Thornton Composition faculty member Veronika Krausas, Caryatids, will be performed by the LA Phil on April 22 during its Voices of a Generation concert. Krausas also works as a pre-concert lecturer and interviewer at the LA Phil and serves on the advisory boards of Jacaranda Music and People Inside Electronics.

Ronald C. McCurdy and Anita Dashiell-Sparks present Nobody Knows: Voices Unmuted at the GRAMMY Museum
Ronald C. McCurdy, the assistant dean of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) Initiatives for the USC Thornton School of Music, along with Anita Dashiell-Sparks, the associate dean of JEDI for the USC School of Dramatic Arts, has curated a collaborative interdisciplinary project entitled Nobody Knows: Voices Unmuted. This student-driven project features empowered voices from… Continue reading Ronald C. McCurdy and Anita Dashiell-Sparks present Nobody Knows: Voices Unmuted at the GRAMMY Museum

Meet the new faculty: Seth Parker Woods
As part of a new series this spring, USC Thornton is introducing a number of exceptional new faculty members at the school. Acclaimed cellist Dr. Seth Parker Woods joins the faculty as an assistant professor of practice, string chamber music and cello. A recipient of the 2022 Chamber Music America Michael Jaffee Visionary Award and hailed by The Guardian as “a cellist of power and grace” who possesses “mature artistry and… Continue reading Meet the new faculty: Seth Parker Woods

Molly Miller featured in Fretboard Journal
USC Thornton alumna and Studio Guitar program faculty member Molly Miller (’11, MM ’13, DMA ’16) was interviewed in the latest edition of the Fretboard Journal. The feature discusses instrumental storytelling and Miller’s early days with the guitar. “I think what I’ve learned this year in quarantine is, I’ve gotten to connect with people from… Continue reading Molly Miller featured in Fretboard Journal

Julie Landsman featured on the cover of International Musician
USC Thornton Winds & Percussion Department faculty member Julie Landsman was featured on the cover of International Musician, the official publication of the American Federation of Musicians. The feature celebrates Landsman’s decades-long legacy of pioneering achievement in a male-dominated field and how she’s set the tone for a generation of students. “I give my heart… Continue reading Julie Landsman featured on the cover of International Musician