Piano student Josephine Yang featured as soloist in two orchestral concerts
USC Thornton piano student Josephine Yang (MM ’16) received glowing reviews for her recent performances with the Sierra Vista Symphony Orchestra and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Sonara under guest conductor Keitaro Harada. The Sierra Vista Herald reported that “The audience was not disappointed, as a long, loud standing ovation began even as the last note… Continue reading Piano student Josephine Yang featured as soloist in two orchestral concerts
USC Thornton sextet Cardinal Winds selected for Coleman Competition Finals and Plowman Competition Semi-Finals
USC Thornton woodwind sextet Cardinal Winds was selected for the Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition Finals. Cardinal Winds was formed at USC in 2014. Its members are Catherine Baker, flute (GCRT), Zachary Pulse, oboe (GCRT), Kelsi Doolittle, clarinet (MM), Alex Garcia, bassoon (MM ’13), Carrie Rexroat, horn (MM) and Hedy Lee, piano (DMA ‘13). The Coleman… Continue reading USC Thornton sextet Cardinal Winds selected for Coleman Competition Finals and Plowman Competition Semi-Finals
Alan Smith’s concert piece highlighed in Opera News
Alan Smith, chair of Keyboard Studies and director of Keyboard Collaborative Arts, was praised in a recent edition of Opera News for his “stunning concert piece Daniel Boone Sings to the Night Sky.” The article raved that American baritone Matthew Worth’s “rich, warm sound was heard to best advantage” in Smith’s piece.
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
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
USC Thornton students Alex Biniaz-Harris and Ambrose Soehn featured in the Los Angeles Times
USC Thornton students Alex Biniaz-Harris and Ambrose Soehn perform today in Kraków, Poland, at the commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, playing a piano suite they composed based on melodies sung by Holocaust survivors they found in archives of the USC Shoah Foundation. The piano suite and performance… Continue reading USC Thornton students Alex Biniaz-Harris and Ambrose Soehn featured in the Los Angeles Times
Aron Kallay receives glowing review in the Los Angeles Times
USC Thornton faculty and alum Aron Kallay (DMA ’09) received a glowing review in the Los Angeles Times for his premiere Piano Spheres recital on Tuesday, Dec. 16. The late Leonard Stein formed Piano Spheres in 1994 to showcase new music, and Kallay’s recital was the second in a satellite series this season at REDCAT… Continue reading Aron Kallay receives glowing review in the Los Angeles Times
Jeffrey Kahane interviewed in the Los Angeles Times about new faculty appointment at Thornton
The Los Angeles Times interviewed the acclaimed pianist and music director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra about his new appointment as faculty in Thornton’s Keyboard Studies department beginning in fall 2015. He steps down from his LACO post in 2017. “I love the orchestra and things are going very well, but it’s been 18… Continue reading Jeffrey Kahane interviewed in the Los Angeles Times about new faculty appointment at Thornton
Stephen Pierce
South African-born pianist Stephen Pierce enjoys a multi-faceted career as a respected teacher, presenter, performer, adjudicator and scholar. At the USC Thornton School of Music, he oversees the secondary piano and keyboard pedagogy programs and teaches applied piano, courses in piano pedagogy and keyboard literature. Pierce also teaches piano privately in Pasadena, CA, and at Interlochen… Continue reading Stephen Pierce