USC Thornton School of Music

USC Thornton alum Jenny Wong has been named Associate Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, after first joining the ensemble in 2016 as Assistant Conductor. In her new role, Wong will work with Artistic Director and fellow alum Grant Gershon to devote 50% of the Master Chorale’s future programming to work by underrepresented composers. Wong recently spoke to the Los Angeles Times about her own journey to the podium and the significance of her new role. The reason I get to be at a podium in Disney Hall is that there were people who came before me who worked hard, with great intention, to make that possible for me, Wong said. I have a responsibility to do the same. Read more: bit.ly/37RfqBg

In the latest Student Ambassador blog, composition student Linda Diaz shares her experience of how her courses, classmates and faculty adapted to online learning, and found perks in the process. "The magic of making music in the same space as others is undoubtedly sorely missed," she says, "but efforts to continue a semblance of that spark have manifested in uniquely collaborative ways and the development of fresh skills." Read Linda's blog: bit.ly/3kAg0Ha

Today’s Live! from Somewhere represents a short visit to Brazil, if only in music. Doctoral student Ismael Nascimento performs Brazilian composer and guitarist Anibal Augusto Sardinha’s Lamentos do Morro. Nascimento said: I chose this piece because it represents my roots in the Brazilian music. Also, due to the fact that this piece was originally composed for classical guitar, I could adapt the arrangement in order to be able to mix three things that I love: classical guitar, electric guitar, and improvisation. From Ismael’s home in Los Angeles to yours, enjoy. Live form wherever we are.

On Oct. 11, students in USC Thornton’s Music Industry program broke the Zoom mold and brought together 30 leading industry professionals and over 125 students in an interactive virtual event, the Music Industry Symposium. Guests, and their avatars, attended performances, keynote speeches and networking sessions in a one-of-a-kind immersive experience. On Nov. 8, the symposium returns for its second iteration, open to all current USC Thornton students. Read more: bit.ly/31uQNWT

In the latest Student Ambassador blog, Erica Lee shares her experience double majoring at USC as she enters her senior year studying Piano Performance at USC Thornton and Business Administration at USC Marshall. I think the beauty of double majoring is learning the skills of two different career paths and forging them together to create something new. Read more: bit.ly/35it9yd

USC Thornton’s early music ensemble, Baroque Sinfonia, adapted quickly to working together virtually. They’ve produced numerous remote ensemble performances like today’s Live! From Somewhere video, thanks to faculty members like Jason Yoshida who have been hard at work teaching students the ins and outs of home recording. Enjoy Baroque Sinfonia’s performance of Exultent Caeli. Live from wherever we are.

As digital recording became a necessary skill for many musicians this semester, Jason Yoshida, a faculty member in the Early Music program and expert in music technology, was tapped to show students the ropes in a free digital recording course open to all USC Thornton students. Early music and music technology may seem like disparate skills, but for Yoshida, who specializes in instruments like the lute and Baroque guitar, the two are necessarily linked. From today onward, musicians and teachers will have to embrace technology to be successful, he says. Read more: bit.ly/3nOaZwy

Congratulations are in order for USC Thornton alum Gabriel Martins, who has been announced as a Grand Prize winner in the 2020 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition. The award marks Martin's third major prize in what has been a momentous year for the cellist, who graduated with his bachelor's in 2019. Earlier this year, Martins earned first prize in two other major competitions, the 2020 Sphinx Competition and Schadt Cello Competition. Read more: bit.ly/2FxLizc... Photo by Amélie Fortin

This fall, USC Thornton welcomed the second cohort of musicians to the Los Angeles Orchestra Fellowship, a post-graduate program created in partnership with the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra to increase diversity in American orchestras. New fellows Wilfred Farquharson, Jay Julio Laureta, Malik Taylor and Myles Yeazell recently shared with us their own journeys to a life in music, what the fellowship means to them, and how they hope to see the world of classical music pursue lasting change. Meet the new class of fellows: bit.ly/2SRIyzq

Rotem Gilbert, a professor of Early Music at USC Thornton, has created a chamber ensemble of one to perform a historic piece of Renaissance music for our Friday mini concert series, Live! From Somewhere. From her home, Gilbert presents her quintet recording of Brunette by Johannes de Stokem, a piece that was published in 1501. Enjoy. Live from wherever we are.

Today, doctoral students Benjamin Fried and Connie Kim-Sheng bring us a lively duet for their Live! From Somewhere video. The pair recorded their performance of Robert Schumann’s Five Pieces in the Folk Style at home in the spring, where they continued performing safely together after our campus closed. Now as always, the show must go on!

In a series of online masterclasses, the Division of Contemporary Music invited top-notch guitarists to speak with students about their careers and their craft. Molly Miller is a three-time alum of USC Thornton who has made a career as a versatile musician and educator. She leads her own trio while working with artists like Jason Mraz. In her August masterclass, she spoke about the importance of finding and supporting a creative community like the one she’s found in Los Angeles. Read more: bit.ly/2SfxvA6

Exceptional artists across the country have been visiting Thornton’s online classes this fall to speak to students. The Division of Contemporary Music collaborated on a series of masterclasses with Ari O’Neal, guitarist for Beyoncé and Ariana Grande, and alumna Molly Miller, who has recorded and toured with Jason Mraz and the Black Eyed Peas. In her August masterclass, O’Neal spoke about collaboration, how she landed her spot in Beyoncé’s band, and offered students advice about accepting professional challenges with confidence. Read more: bit.ly/2SfxvA6