
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

Michael Abels featured in Billboard about diversifying the film scoring industry
Michael Abels (BM ‘84), an award-winning composer and USC Thornton alumnus, was featured alongside Bridgerton composer Kris Bowers in a Billboard story about composers helping to diversify the film scoring industry. Abels spoke about how he started working with Get Out director Jordan Peele and how that opportunity led him to co-found the Composers Diversity… Continue reading Michael Abels featured in Billboard about diversifying the film scoring industry

USC Thornton ranked among top 20 music schools for composing for film and TV by The Hollywood Reporter
This month, the USC Thornton School of Music topped the list of the 20 best music schools for composing for film and TV by The Hollywood Reporter. The rankings noted Thornton’s commitment to inclusivity — women comprise 50% of students currently enrolled in the screen scoring program, making it one of the most gender-diverse programs… Continue reading USC Thornton ranked among top 20 music schools for composing for film and TV by The Hollywood Reporter

Jongnic Bontemps nominated for Critics Choice Documentary Award
Screen Scoring alum Jongnic Bontemps (GCRT ’12) has been nominated for Best Score at the 2021 Critics Choice Association’s Documentary Awards for his work on Amazon Studios’ My Name is Pauli Murray. The winners will be announced at a gala on November 14 in Brooklyn. Bontemps is a critically-acclaimed film composer known for fusing a… Continue reading Jongnic Bontemps nominated for Critics Choice Documentary Award

Daniel James Chan produces “The Mixtape” for DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
Screen Scoring alum Daniel James Chan (’08) has produced an album of original songs and arrangements from the TV series “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.”

Two Screen Scoring alums take home 2021 Creative Arts Emmy Awards
Ludwig Göransson (GCRT ’08) won his second Emmy for his work on Disney+’s “The Mandalorian,” with Carlos Rafael Rivera (DMA ’10) earning his second Emmy with a win for “The Queen’s Gambit” on Netflix.

Raashi Kulkarni selected for the Universal Composers Initiative with NBCUniversal
Alum Raashi Kulkarni (GCRT ’16, MM ’18) is one of eight composers selected for the Universal Composers Initiative, a development program for composers from underrepresented backgrounds created by NBCUniversal and the Global Talent Development and Inclusion Group.

Lolita Ritmanis
A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Class of 2021, Lolita Ritmanis is an Emmy Award-winning, and 10-time Emmy Award-nominated composer.

Austin Wintory wins Game Audio Network Guild Award
Austin Wintory (BM ‘07), an alum of the Composition program, recently won the award for Best Music for an Indie Game at the 19th annual Game Audio Network Guild Awards (G.A.N.G. Awards) for his score of the game “The Pathless.” Wintory was also nominated in several other categories including Best Main Theme, Best Original Song,… Continue reading Austin Wintory wins Game Audio Network Guild Award

USC Thornton faculty and alumni nominated for 2021 Emmy Awards
USC Thornton faculty and alumni were nominated for the 73rd Emmy Awards, announced on Tuesday, July 13th. Alum Michael Abels (BM ‘84) received double nominations for his work on HBO’s Allen v. Farrow, including Outstanding Music Composition For A Documentary Series Or Special (Original Dramatic Score), and Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music), as did… Continue reading USC Thornton faculty and alumni nominated for 2021 Emmy Awards