Fall 2022 Semester in Review
Looking back on an amazing fall 2022 semester at USC Thornton.
Reyna Gordon leads scientific study of genetic link to musicality traits
USC Thornton Vocal Arts department alumna Reyna Gordon (BM ‘01) has led the first large-scale study that discovered how the ability to move in synchrony with the beat of music is coded in human genomes. Assembled by an international multidisciplinary team of experts and in collaboration with personal genetics company 23andMe, the study assessed beat… Continue reading Reyna Gordon leads scientific study of genetic link to musicality traits
Lynn Helding named editor in chief of Journal of Singing
Lynn Helding, a professor of practice and the coordinator of vocology and voice pedagogy in the USC Thornton Vocal Arts & Opera program, has been named the new editor-in-chief of the Journal of Singing. The Journal of Singing is the only English language international periodical dedicated exclusively to voice art, pedagogy, science, technology and health… Continue reading Lynn Helding named editor in chief of Journal of Singing
Darryl Taylor hosts international conference for African American Art Song Alliance 25th Anniversary Celebration
Darryl Taylor (MM ‘91, DMA ‘95), founder of the African American Art Song Alliance (AASA), hosts the AASA’s 25th Anniversary Celebration Conference October 13-16 at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts at the University of California, Irvine. The international conference will focus on African American contributions to classical music in two main areas: social… Continue reading Darryl Taylor hosts international conference for African American Art Song Alliance 25th Anniversary Celebration
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
Reyna Gordon promoted to associate professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Vocal arts alum Dr. Reyna Gordon (BM ‘01) has been promoted to associate professor and awarded tenure in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Department of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery. Gordon currently serves as one of the co-directors of the Vanderbilt Music Cognition Lab, where she leads an interdisciplinary research program focused on musicality… Continue reading Reyna Gordon promoted to associate professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Alondra Santos featured in Daily Trojan
Alondra Santos, a sophomore in the USC Thornton Vocal Arts program, was recently featured in a Daily Trojan article discussing her background as a mariachi performer and its influence on her artistry as a singer-songwriter. The piece also explores the close student-mentor relationship that Santos has established with vocals arts & opera faculty member Elizabeth… Continue reading Alondra Santos featured in Daily Trojan
DMA student and composer Leaha Maria Villarreal premieres art song with Prima Voce Emerging Artists Fall Concert Series
DMA student and composer Leaha Maria Villarreal premieres art song with Prima Voce Emerging Artists Fall Concert Series.
West Edge Opera commissions Nicolas Lell Benavides to write “Dolores,” an opera about labor organizer and activist Dolores Huerta
Post-doctoral candidate Nicolas Lell Benavides has been commissioned by Berkeley’s West Edge Opera to write “Dolores,” an opera about United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta.
Angela Meade headlines Wexford Festival Opera 2021 season
An operatic soprano, Meade has won more than 50 vocal competitions, including the grand prize at the 2009 Montreal International Musical Competition.