Patrice Rushen awarded at USC Academic Honors Convocation
Patrice Rushen, a faculty member in the USC Thornton Popular Music program, was honored with the USC Associates Award for Artistic Expression at the Academic Honors Convocation on April 2. The annual event honors standout students and faculty among USC’s large community of scholars. In her opening remarks, President Carol Folt recognized Rushen for “giving… Continue reading Patrice Rushen awarded at USC Academic Honors Convocation
Michael Mennell
Michael Mennell is a Southern California-based bassist and vocalist. He has maintained a 22-plus year teaching career in Los Angeles, and he continues to mentor young players and singers while maintaining a full schedule of recording sessions, live engagements, and tours. Mennell has recorded with artists including John Fogerty, Billy F. Gibbons, Keith Urban, Joe… Continue reading Michael Mennell
PopCon brings first-ever Los Angeles conference to USC
PopCon, the annual music writing and popular music studies conference, came to USC and Los Angeles for the first time on March 7-9. This year’s theme focused on music collections and archives. The conference featured over 30 events—including keynote sessions with funk legend George Clinton, filmmaker dream hampton and journalist Danyel Smith. USC Thornton Dean… Continue reading PopCon brings first-ever Los Angeles conference to USC
Dean Jason King quoted by NPR
USC Thornton Dean Jason King was quoted in an NPR review of the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show, published on Feb. 9. King, an NPR contributor and music scholar, commented on the topic of Las Vegas residencies: “[Vegas Residencies] almost exist outside critical infrastructure,” he said. “These are blockbuster celebrities doing a blockbuster show for… Continue reading Dean Jason King quoted by NPR
Remi Wolf collaborates with Norah Jones on Spotify single
USC Thornton Popular Music alumna Remi Wolf (‘18) collaborated with Norah Jones on her new Spotify single, a cover of Big Thief’s “Change,” which was released on January 31. Wolf recently joined Jones on her podcast, “Playing Along,” where the duo discussed their tour schedules and creative outlets, and duetted a selection of songs.
Ludwig Göransson earns Academy Award nomination while USC Thornton alumni and faculty are featured in nominated films
Alumni and faculty from across the music departments and programs of USC Thornton were well represented in the 2024 Oscar nominations, announced on January 23. Ludwig Göransson (GCRT ’08) earned his third nomination in the Best Original Score category for Oppenheimer while composition alum Katya Richardson (’19) composed the score to Best Documentary Short nominee The Last Repair… Continue reading Ludwig Göransson earns Academy Award nomination while USC Thornton alumni and faculty are featured in nominated films
USC Thornton music industry class visits L.A. Coliseum
USC Thornton’s Concert Production and Promotion class took a field trip to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, as featured by USC Today. Students toured the stadium and learned from Coliseum staff about the production of large-scale music events, bringing classroom concepts to life. The class is taught by Michael Garcia, chair of the music industry… Continue reading USC Thornton music industry class visits L.A. Coliseum
Screen Scoring alumni awarded in 2023 Children’s & Family Emmys
USC Thornton Screen Scoring program alumni Alex Nickson (’03), Bob Lydecker (’08, GCRT ’09) and Kevin Lax (’08, GCRT ’09) were awarded in the second annual Children’s & Family Emmy Awards on Dec. 16. They won in the category of Outstanding Music Direction and Composition for an Animated Program with the Netflix series, Kung Fu… Continue reading Screen Scoring alumni awarded in 2023 Children’s & Family Emmys
Amber Wild opened for KISS on their 2023 farewell tour
Amber Wild, a band featuring guitarist and USC Thornton alum Marshall Via (BM ’21, MS ’21) as well as current Thornton student, drummer Thomas Lowrey, opened for KISS on their 2023 “End of the Road” farewell tour, which culminated on Dec. 2 in New York City. The band formed in January 2023 and is led… Continue reading Amber Wild opened for KISS on their 2023 farewell tour
Remi Wolf joins Paramore and Olivia Rodrigo on tour
USC Thornton Popular Music program alumna Remi Wolf (‘18) was a special guest on Paramore’s Australian tour in November. Wolf performed at all six shows across Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland. She is featured on the track “You First” off their latest album, Re: This is Why. Wolf will join artist Olivia Rodrigo on the… Continue reading Remi Wolf joins Paramore and Olivia Rodrigo on tour