
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

Alumna Elvia Puccinelli launches first international society for keyboard collaborative arts
USC Thornton alumna Elvia Puccinelli (MM ’91, DMA ’00) led the launch of the first international society for keyboard collaborative arts, the International Keyboard Collaborative Arts Society, as part of the fifth annual CollabFest conference on Oct. 15-17. Puccinelli, associate professor of music and coordinator of collaborative piano at the University of North Texas College of… Continue reading Alumna Elvia Puccinelli launches first international society for keyboard collaborative arts

Thornton artists awarded San Francisco Classical Voice Audience Choice Awards
Multiple USC Thornton artists and alumni-founded ensembles were awarded San Francisco Classical Voice’s Audience Choice Awards for the 2019-2020 season. This year was the first-ever Audience Choice Awards with a category dedicated to celebrating the vibrant classical music scene in Los Angeles. HOCKET, the piano duo of alumni Sarah Gibson (MM ‘10, DMA ‘15) and… Continue reading Thornton artists awarded San Francisco Classical Voice Audience Choice Awards

Andrew Harrison to launch new online concert series
USC Thornton alum and saxophonist Andrew Harrison (DMA ’15) will launch a new online concert series, Concert Cast, on Tues., Sept. 1. An advocate for contemporary saxophone music, Harrison will perform with pianist Jason Lo (MM ’12, DMA ’16) in a program that features works by Bozza, Eiunaudi, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, and more. The event will… Continue reading Andrew Harrison to launch new online concert series

Twelve Thornton students and alumni among winners of 2020-2021 Beverly Hills National Auditions
Winners of the 2020-2021 Beverly Hills National Auditions (BHNA) were recently announced, and among them are a long list of 12 students and alumni of USC Thornton. Each year, the BHNA selects winners to be presented the following season in a series of monthly concerts across Southern California. In consideration of restrictions on in-person events,… Continue reading Twelve Thornton students and alumni among winners of 2020-2021 Beverly Hills National Auditions

USC Thornton’s Concerto Chamber Orchestra presents The Carnival of the Animals
USC Thornton’s Concerto Chamber Orchestra, a student-run ensemble, is presenting a 14-day summer festival featuring a virtual performance of “The Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint-Saëns. Between July 18-31, the ensemble will release a movement each day, culminating in a livestream of the full piece on July 31 at 6:00 pm (PST). The project… Continue reading USC Thornton’s Concerto Chamber Orchestra presents The Carnival of the Animals

Jeffrey Kahane to appear in Oregon Bach Festival radio broadcast
Performances by renowned pianist and Keyboard Studies faculty member Jeffrey Kahane will be broadcast July 6 and 8 as part of the first-ever radio broadcast edition of the award-winning Oregon Bach Festival. The festival airs from June 26 through July 10, and features recordings by critically-acclaimed musicians. Kahane made is Oregon Bach Festival debut in… Continue reading Jeffrey Kahane to appear in Oregon Bach Festival radio broadcast

HOCKET launches new commission series #What2020SoundsLike
USC Thornton alumni Sarah Gibson (MM ’10, DMA ’15) and Thomas Kotcheff (MM ’12, DMA ‘19), who together form piano duo HOCKET, have launched a new commission series called #What2020SoundsLike. They have commissioned 50 composers to create new, short works between 15 and 45 seconds in length, which the duo will record and release on… Continue reading HOCKET launches new commission series #What2020SoundsLike

Doyoung Park and Keke Luo among winners of American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition
Two students of USC Thornton’s Keyboard Studies program were named among thirteen First Place Winners of the College Students and Professional Musicians category of the American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition: graduate certificate candidate Doyoung Park, a student of Daniel Pollack and Mikhail Korzhev, and master’s student Keke Luo, a student of Bernadene Blaha.… Continue reading Doyoung Park and Keke Luo among winners of American Protégé International Piano and Strings Competition

Remembering Lynn Harrell
Lynn Harrell, the internationally-acclaimed cellist and former faculty member at the USC Thornton School of Music, died on Monday, April 27. He was 76. From 1986 to 1993, Harrell held the Gregor Piatigorsky Chair in Violoncello at USC Thornton where he taught countless cellists who have gone on to remarkable careers including faculty member Ben… Continue reading Remembering Lynn Harrell