USC Thornton School of Music

This year, the USC Thornton Mentorship Program has connected undergraduate and graduate students across various disciplines with esteemed mentors at the top of their fields.

In our newest spotlight, we spoke with singer-songwriter-producer Dawn Richard about her experience mentoring Thornton students and the lessons she's learned throughout her career.

"We have got to uplift each other because it is very difficult when you are in this industry and you don't have community," she said. "This is my hope for musicians, and I think going to USC, they already have that."

Read more: https://bit.ly/4jgveit

In this month's Student Ambassador blog, Ashley Melendres and Ellen Cheng share their experience and advice about pursuing a double major at USC Thornton.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4ieBFln

Duke Ellington: jazz icon, pianist, composer, band leader, diplomat. On the 125th anniversary of his birth, the USC Thornton School of Music paid tribute to this groundbreaking artist by reinterpreting his work through a modern lens with “Rockin’ in Rhythm: Re-Imagining the Legacy of Duke Ellington.”

Read more about our student and faculty-led tribute to Duke Ellington: https://bit.ly/4hYKSOA

Today we celebrate 40 years of the USC Polish Music Center! The PMC recently received UNESCO's "Memory of the World" designation for its world-renowned archival collection of Henryk Wars. The honor, coinciding with the center’s milestone anniversary, is a testament to the PMC's vital role in preserving Polish musical heritage.

Learn more about the USC Polish Music Center: https://bit.ly/4iP04i6

PopCon begins tomorrow! Join USC Thornton on campus from March 13-15 for three exciting days of panels, keynotes and special events focusing on the intersection of music and fashion throughout history. The conference is free to attend with registration on Eventbrite.

Learn more about PopCon 2025: https://bit.ly/3DA0QQY

This program is open to all eligible individuals. USC Thornton operates all of its programs and activities consistent with the University’s Notice of Non-Discrimination. Eligibility is not determined based on race, s*x, ethnicity, s*xual orientation, or any other prohibited factor.

Grammy-nominated classical guitarist Mak Grgić (MM ’12, DMA ’16, GCRT ’20) experienced a full circle moment when he returned to USC Thornton to perform a special alumni concert, which featured selections from his critically-acclaimed album "Mak|Bach." In a new spotlight, Grgić shares the lessons that helped shape his artistic and entrepreneurial career.

Read more about Mak Grgić: https://bit.ly/41tAGqT

The Oscars are this weekend! To celebrate, we're spotlighting USC Thornton alumna Katya Richardson ('19) who composed, based on themes by Kris Bowers, the score for last year's Best Documentary Short Film winner, "The Last Repair Shop" (co-directed by Bowers and USC School of Cinematic Arts alumnus Ben Proudfoot).

We spoke with Richardson about studying Composition at Thornton and her journey in film scoring thereafter, leading up to her work on the Oscar-winning project which she calls a "dream come true."

Learn more about Katya Richardson: https://bit.ly/41kRNv9

📸: Molly O’ Keeffe Photography

In this month's Student Ambassador blog, Ellen Cheng and Meghan Chen offer a glimpse into the classical and popular music performance opportunities available at USC Thornton.

Read more: https://bit.ly/41x429c

Earlier this month, the USC Thornton Symphony gave an incredible performance in Walt Disney Concert Hall for the LA Phil's Sounds About Town series. Led by faculty members Carl St.Clair, Sharon Lavery and Tram Sparks, the concert featured our student musicians and choral artists as well as pianist Bernadene Blaha.

Photo by Luis Luque, courtesy of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.

In our newest "Office Hours" segment, USC Thornton Musicology faculty member León F. García Corona plays his favorite piece of music and discusses his teaching philosophy.

García Corona is a music scholar whose work focuses on the intersections between music, race and social justice in Mexico and among its diasporic communities in the United States. He is the co-editor and a contributor of "Voices of the Field: Pathways in Public Ethnomusicology," in which he and other contributors explore public engagement in ethnomusicology.

Learn more about León F. García Corona: https://bit.ly/3CN5A5i

We are so proud of our USC Thornton alumni and community members whose work was recognized at the 2025 Grammy Awards, including Sara Gazarek ('04), Henry Was ('16), Juan Razuri ('24), Keaton Smith ('16), Isa Klar ('23), Alexander Lipay (MM '07), Taylor Eigsti and Raphael Saadiq. Congratulations to all of the winners and nominees! 🏆

Read more about this year’s Grammys: https://bit.ly/4gqTPz5

📸: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP

"The Thornton School of Music is filled with a collaborative spirit that I would advise each and every future student to immerse themselves in," says Music Industry major Alyssa Holland.

In this month's Student Ambassador blog, Alyssa Holland, Oliviana Marie and Madeline Clara Cheng share highlights from their artistic collaborations at USC Thornton.

Learn more: https://bit.ly/40ppvPw

Please join us in celebrating acclaimed pianist and longtime Keyboard Studies faculty member Daniel Pollack on his milestone birthday! 🎂

In addition to teaching at USC Thornton, Pollack has led an inspiring career as a musical artist. In 1958, he became a prize-winner in Moscow's first International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition. His resulting career has taken him across five continents, including solo appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Moscow State Philharmonic, Mariinsky Orchestra, London’s Royal Philharmonic, Bergen Symphony, Seoul Philharmonic and National Symphony Orchestra of Colombia, among others.

In 2014, Pollack was awarded the University of Southern California Associates Award for Artistic Expression.

Happy Birthday, Professor Pollack, and congratulations on over 50 years of service at USC!

We're delighted to welcome our amazing USC Thornton community to campus for the spring 2025 semester. Here's to a year of inspiring performances, scholarship and collaboration. 🎶✌️ Trojans, we hope you had a great first week of classes!

Can you guess which 10 images are in our Year in Photos? View the full gallery here: bit.ly/49zOQua

📸: Loreen Sarkis/Capture Imaging

USC Thornton's Student Ambassador blog series continues! The latest post was written by Composition major Madeline Clara Cheng and Jazz Studies major Julian Najah, who shared their unique experiences pursuing minor degrees in Business Law, Music Industry and Music Production.

Read more: https://bit.ly/3Oo1Yca

USC Thornton students and alumni took part in a one-night-only performance of RZA’s classical album “A Ballet Through Mud” at the Los Angeles Theatre on Nov. 4, an unforgettable evening that blended music, dance and artistry. The music was conducted by Oliver Zeffman and accompanied by a ballet performance from Sorzano Dance Works.

📸: Ashley Osborn / Platoon