USC Thornton School of Music

Please join us in congratulating celebrated cellist and USC Thornton faculty member Seth Parker Woods on his new appointment as Robert Mann Chair in Strings and Chamber Music.

"Professor Woods embodies the forward-looking artist and musician that the Thornton School of Music aims to cultivate in its students. He is an inspiring beacon of excellence for our school," Dean Jason King said.

Woods will join the USC Thornton Symphony on Friday, September 13 for the opening concert of the fall semester, performing "breathe/burn: an elegy" by Joel Thompson.

Read more about this announcement: https://bit.ly/4dEd9bO

Welcome to a new semester, Trojans! We had a wonderful time meeting with all of our USC Thornton students, faculty and staff during this year's Welcome Week.

"You are part of a long and magnificent legacy of creative and scholarly excellence where some of the world’s foremost performers, conductors and composers, professionals and researchers have received their training," said Dean Jason King in his welcome speech. "My goal is to make sure you as students feel empowered and have everything you need to succeed."

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USC Thornton is delighted to announce Quincy Jones: Beyond Category, our year-long event series dedicated to celebrating, exploring and elevating Quincy Jones’ life and work. This series celebrates seven decades of Jones' unprecedented creativity and excellence as a trailblazer whose work bridges classical, jazz, pop, R&B, gospel and film scoring.

Join us on September 20 at 7 p.m. in Norris Cinema Theatre for the kick-off event, Screening Quincy Jones: "Duke Ellington...We Love You Madly."

Learn more about Quincy Jones: Beyond Category: https://bit.ly/3YSqIQ8

Congratulations to the USC Thornton alumni who have been nominated for the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards by the ! This year’s nominees include Sara Barone (MM ‘18), Nick Chuba (’14), Chanda Dancy (GCRT ’04), James Newton Howard, Carlos Rafael Rivera (MM ’04, DMA ’10), Ben Schor (‘02) and Jeff Toyne (GCRT ’01).

Best of luck to all the nominees!

Read more about the nominations at the link in our bio.

Congratulations to the USC Thornton alumni who have been nominated for the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards by the Television Academy! This year's nominees include Sara Barone (MM ‘18), Nick Chuba (’14), Chanda Dancy (GCRT ’04), James Newton Howard, Carlos Rafael Rivera (MM ’04, DMA ’10), Ben Schor (‘02) and Jeff Toyne (GCRT ’01).

Best of luck to all the nominees!

Read more about the nominations: https://bit.ly/3LvF6WL

The Keyboard Collaborative Arts program at USC Thornton remains one of the leading programs in the field of collaborative arts. Its innovative history traces back to two pioneering women: Gwendolyn Koldofsky, who founded the program in 1947, and her student Jean Barr, who earned the first doctoral degree ever given in the field in 1977.

Read more about the history of Thornton’s KCA program at the link in our bio.

The Keyboard Collaborative Arts program at USC Thornton remains one of the leading programs in the field of collaborative arts. Its innovative history traces back to two pioneering women: Gwendolyn Koldofsky, who founded the program in 1947, and her student Jean Barr, who earned the first doctoral degree ever given in the field in 1977.

Read more about the history of Thornton's KCA program: https://bit.ly/3LnTwrH

In our latest "Office Hours," USC Thornton Strings faculty member JoAnn Turovsky shares her teaching philosophy, advice for young harpists and stories behind the artwork in her on-campus studio.

Turovsky is principal harpist with the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and Los Angeles Master Chorale and Sinfonia Orchestra. She has performed on numerous film and television soundtracks, including "Avatar," "The Karate Kid," the "Toy Story" franchise, "The Kite Runner" and more. In 2015, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Harp Society.

Learn more about JoAnn Turovsky: https://bit.ly/3W4j03z

We are thrilled to celebrate the release of USC Thornton alumnus Patrick O’Malley’s (MM ’15, DMA ’19) debut orchestral album “The Horizons” with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Constantine. Featuring violist Brett Deubner, O’Malley’s viola concerto is accompanied by his pieces “Soliloquy,” “Obliviana” and “Rest and Restless.”

“While composing the piece in 2022, at the same time coming out of the Covid lockdowns, I felt a strong feeling of capturing this sense of rebirth with the concerto, using Brett Deubner’s immense lyricism on the viola to explore a world of both fragility and strength,” said O’Malley.

Read more about the album at the link in our bio.

We are thrilled to celebrate the release of USC Thornton alumnus Patrick O’Malley's (MM ’15, DMA ’19) debut orchestral album "The Horizons" with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Andrew Constantine. Featuring violist Brett Deubner, O'Malley's viola concerto is accompanied by his pieces "Soliloquy," "Obliviana" and "Rest and Restless."

"While composing the piece in 2022, at the same time coming out of the Covid lockdowns, I felt a strong feeling of capturing this sense of rebirth with the concerto, using Brett Deubner’s immense lyricism on the viola to explore a world of both fragility and strength," said O'Malley.

Read more about the album: https://bit.ly/3VzRSJr

Have you heard about USC Thornton’s Music Mentorship Program? The newly revamped program is among the many ways Thornton connects music majors with industry leaders.

Students are paired with mentors in a customized way in order to receive productive feedback, advice and guidance on their creative or entrepreneurial work, their scholarship and their future careers. The primary goal of the program is to make professional development and guidance accessible to as many undergraduate and graduate students as possible.

Discover the USC Thornton Music Mentorship Program at the link in our bio.

Have you heard about USC Thornton's Music Mentorship Program? The newly revamped program is among the many ways Thornton connects music majors with industry leaders.

Students are paired with mentors in a customized way in order to receive productive feedback, advice and guidance on their creative or entrepreneurial work, their scholarship and their future careers. The primary goal of the program is to make professional development and guidance accessible to as many undergraduate and graduate students as possible.

Discover the USC Thornton Music Mentorship Program: https://bit.ly/4aRrPlE

Growing up in Nevada, award-winning podcaster Shima Oliaee (’05) was a classically trained singer and determined to make it in music. In our latest alumni spotlight, she shares how she found herself as an artist.

Since graduating from Thornton, Oliaee has worked on the Golden Globe-winning “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and earned a Peabody Award for her “Dolly Parton’s America” podcast series. Her new series, “The Competition,” takes listeners behind the scenes of the Distinguished Young Women program (formerly America’s Junior Miss), one of the most lucrative scholarship competitions for high school girls.

“I thought I had to have it all figured out at a very young age, but USC showed me that maybe that’s not true,” Oliaee said. “For the series, I was very interested in what this competition says about how we’re setting up girls for success or failure. They all feel that if they win the competition, things will be figured out, but we know as adults that the working world is not that simple, and unfortunately, a lot of society is set up to stop a woman from achieving her dreams.”

Learn more about Shima Oliaee and her new podcast at the link in our bio.

Growing up in Nevada, award-winning podcaster Shima Oliaee (’05) was a classically trained singer and determined to make it in music. In our latest alumni spotlight, she shares how she found herself as an artist.

Since graduating from Thornton, Oliaee has worked on the Golden Globe-winning "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and earned a Peabody Award for her "Dolly Parton’s America" podcast series. Her new series, "The Competition," takes listeners behind the scenes of the Distinguished Young Women program (formerly America’s Junior Miss), one of the most lucrative scholarship competitions for high school girls.

“I thought I had to have it all figured out at a very young age, but USC showed me that maybe that’s not true," Oliaee said. "For the series, I was very interested in what this competition says about how we’re setting up girls for success or failure. They all feel that if they win the competition, things will be figured out, but we know as adults that the working world is not that simple, and unfortunately, a lot of society is set up to stop a woman from achieving her dreams.”

Learn more about Shima Oliaee and her new podcast: https://bit.ly/3VfM6N0

Earlier this month, USC Thornton celebrated its incredible graduates, faculty and staff at both the 69th Annual Honors Convocation and the 141st Commencement Ceremony. We invite you to relive some of our favorite moments captured at the end of another incredible school year.

View the entire gallery of photos: https://bit.ly/3Keeysi

Please join us in welcoming acclaimed jazz pianist, composer and USC Thornton alumnus Gerald Clayton ('07) as a 2024-2025 Artist-in-Residence in Jazz! Clayton will teach classes on improvisation, ensemble performance, and composition as well as providing private instruction.

A six-time Grammy-nominated artist, Clayton was honored with the 2018 ASCAP Vanguard Award for his innovative work helping to shape the future of music. He has served as musical director of the Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour and director of the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation Jazz Orchestra. This year, he completed a 35-date North American tour with the Blue Note Quintet in celebration of the label’s 85th anniversary.

Learn more about Gerald Clayton and his new appointment: https://bit.ly/4bGTruE

We had a wonderful time celebrating our USC Thornton graduates at today's commencement ceremony. The day featured an inspiring speech given by composer and Outstanding Alumnus Michael Abels ('84):

"Many inspirational speakers will tell you that failure is a required step along the way to success. I can only add that, in the arts, failure and success may also be the same thing. Your most embarrassing professional experience may be the one that brings you the greatest accolades, and your magnum opus may be greeted with stony silence," Abels said.

"Through it all, don’t lose sight of your declaration—that you are an artist, or helping bring artistic expression into the world, and you will not allow life to separate you from your joy."

Congratulations to the Class of 2024!

This morning, USC Thornton honored its incredible graduates, faculty and staff at the 69th Annual Honors Convocation. Congratulations to all who received awards! Tomorrow the celebration continues with Thornton's Commencement Ceremony beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Pardee Lawn.

Today we'll be celebrating the five USC Thornton Outstanding Graduates in the Class of 2024 in two parts, continuing with our graduate certificate and doctoral degree recipients.

Arisa Makita (GCRT ’24) is the sole euphonium player at USC and an exemplary one at that. In 2023, Makita won second place at the 50th International Tuba Euphonium Conference in the Euphonium Artist Division, a pivotal moment that fueled her desire to become a soloist. This summer, she will play a solo recital at the International Women’s Brass Conference and premiere David Conte’s sonata for euphonium. She will begin Thornton's prestigious Artist Diploma program in the fall.

Award-winning pianist Katelyn Vahala (BM ’18, MM ’21, DMA ’24) has enriched the musical community on campus and beyond by co-directing two concert series: Insert Music Here and Wicked Goat. Well-known in L.A.’s classical and contemporary music scene, she also performs in leading concert series throughout the city. After graduation and a road trip to Colorado, Vahala looks forward to continuing to teach at Pasadena Conservatory of Music and taking Insert Music Here in new directions.

Please join us in congratulating the Outstanding Graduates for their exemplary performance, scholarship, service and leadership. Read more about them: https://bit.ly/3WA61Y5

Today we'll be celebrating the five USC Thornton Outstanding Graduates in the Class of 2024 in two parts, beginning with our bachelor's and master's degree recipients.

Erika Poh (BM ’24) debuted her first orchestra piece, “Have You Seen Her,” with the USC Thornton Symphony in February. Poh is a composer, popular music artist, singer-songwriter, arranger and producer with an active performance career in her native Singapore. After graduation, she will return to Singapore and work for the Ministry of Education as a teacher.

Violinist Anna Renton's (BM '24) proudest accomplishment at Thornton was serving as assistant concertmaster for the USC Thornton Symphony, next to her professor and greatest musical inspiration, Glenn Dicterow. Renton also completed a minor in history, focusing on medieval studies, and was named a USC Renaissance Scholar. After graduation, she plans to pursue a master's degree at Thornton.

Daniel Mangiaracino (BM ’22, MM ’24) is a multi-disciplinary artist who studied piano at Thornton while also completing a minor in dance, conducting research on dance and music, and producing videos for his heavily trafficked YouTube channel "Dein0mite." Next year, Mangiaracino will pursue his DMA in Keyboard Performance at Thornton.

Please join us in congratulating the Outstanding Graduates for their exemplary performance, scholarship, service and leadership. Read more about them: https://bit.ly/4bwamj8

We asked our graduating USC Thornton Student Ambassadors—Sofia Llacer Chamberlain, Rosie Ding, Ajani Harris, George Tyler Heffley, Emily Hsu and Patricia Wang—to reflect on their time at USC. Their responses offer lessons and perspectives to the incoming class.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/3JXkiGF

USC Thornton Composition student Oliviana Marie experienced a full-circle moment when she got to work on the first production in the School of Dramatic Arts’ new home. The former United University Church building is where Oliviana grew as a person and musician: she was baptized there, sang in the church's choir, and even had her 6th birthday party in the courtyard.

Read more about composer and musician Oliviana Marie: https://bit.ly/3Wp1APP

USC Thornton offers dynamic overseas programs designed to expand upon and enhance a student's curriculum. In our last blog post of the semester, Student Ambassadors Rosie Ding, George Tyler Heffley and Gabriel Griswold reflect on some of their study abroad experiences across London, Paris and Helsinki.

Learn more about Thornton's study abroad programs: https://bit.ly/44aBKkk

In our latest USC Thornton Student Ambassador blog, Madeline Cheng, Tanner Dodt and Celine Chen discuss the extracurricular opportunities on campus. They share some ways they've been able to explore their interests and get involved in the USC community.

Learn more about getting involved at USC: https://bit.ly/3Q9N36y

USC Thornton is pleased to welcome three exceptional faculty members to new full-time roles at the School of Music beginning in fall 2024.

Brazilian-born singer and songwriter Luciana Souza is a Grammy winner and eight-time nominee who has established herself as a leading figure in jazz. Souza has been named associate professor of practice in the USC Thornton Jazz Studies program.

Bobby Borg is a former major label, independent and DIY recording/touring artist with over 30 years of experience working with world-class musicians, songwriters, managers, producers, agents, equipment sponsors and A&R executives. Borg has been named assistant professor of practice in the USC Thornton Music Industry program.

Pianist, arranger and composer Doug Petty is currently the keyboard player with the multi-platinum-selling group Tears for Fears, and he was the musical director for recording artist and actress Katharine McPhee for over ten years. Petty has been named assistant professor of practice in the USC Thornton Music Production and Popular Music programs.

Read more about these faculty appointments: https://bit.ly/3JoqgjM

In our new USC Thornton Student Ambassador blog, Sofia Chamberlain, Emily Hsu and Ella Kaale discuss the performing experience they've gained as students of the Strings and Composition departments.

Learn more about performance opportunities for Thornton musicians and composers: https://bit.ly/3UjII3a

Please join us in congratulating USC Thornton composition faculty member Nicolás Lell Benavides (DMA '22) for being named a 2024 Guggenheim Fellow!

Benavides joins a distinguished and diverse group of 188 fellows in this year's cohort, as well as a community of composition faculty who have been honored with the award. He will use the Guggenheim Fellowship to complete numerous creative projects, including his opera "Dolores" which is scheduled for a rolling premiere in 2025.

Read more about the fellowship: https://bit.ly/4aBnNyf

We are thrilled to announce that composer Michael Abels (’84) and singer-songwriter Kali Uchis will be honored at the USC Thornton School of Music Commencement ceremony.

Michael Abels, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2023, is best known for his genre-defying scores for the Jordan Peele films "Get Out," "Us" and "Nope." He is at the forefront of promoting works by composers of color with his advocacy group, Composers Diversity Collective. Abels will receive the Outstanding Alumni award at Thornton's Commencement ceremony.

Colombian-American superstar Kali Uchis rose to prominence with her debut studio album, "Isolation," which received widespread acclaim and peaked at number 34 on the Billboard 200. In 2019, she won a Grammy for her collaboration with Kaytranada on the single "10%." Uchis will receive the Outstanding Artistic Achievement award.

“USC Thornton is pleased to honor two exceptional and versatile musical artists who are doing groundbreaking work,” said USC Thornton Dean Jason King. “Both speakers are, in their own ways, models of creative achievement for Thornton students, and I look forward to hearing their remarks at Commencement.”

Read more about the honorees: https://bit.ly/4aNFdYd

We are delighted to announce the return of USC Thornton's Student Ambassador blogs this April! In our first blog post of the month, Jackie Gibson (Music Industry) and George Tyler Heffley (Music Industry/Jazz Studies) share their experiences as music interns for companies such as Warner Records in Los Angeles.

Read more about the internship opportunities at Thornton from the perspective of our Student Ambassadors: https://bit.ly/3TIEv7V