USC Thornton School of Music

USC Thornton School of Music
Type	Private
Established	1884
Parent institution	University of Southern California
Dean	Jason King (2023-present)
Academic staff	200
Undergraduates	500
Postgraduates	450
Location	Los Angeles, California, United States
Website	music.usc.edu

The USC Thornton School of Music is a private music school in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1884 only four years after the University of Southern California, the Thornton School is the oldest continually operating arts institution in Los Angeles.^[2] The school is located on the USC University Park Campus, south of Downtown Los Angeles.

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The Thornton School is noted for blending the rigors of a traditional conservatory-style education with a forward-looking approach to training the next generation of musicians. Highly regarded internationally, the school is widely ranked as one of the top 10 schools of music in the United States.^[3]

The USC Thornton School of Music was founded in 1884 and dedicated in 1999. It was named in honor of philanthropist Flora L. Thornton following a $25 million gift from her foundation.^[4] At the time, this was the largest donation to a school of music in the United States. In 2006, she donated an additional $5 million to support the facility needs of the school.^[5]

Thumb — Credit: USC Thornton School of Music

In 2023, Jason King was announced as the new dean of USC Thornton, following Robert Cutietta stepping down at the end of 2022. ^[6]

USC Thornton offers Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate degrees in more than 20 disciplines across the school's three divisions – Classical Performance and Composition, Contemporary Music, and Research and Scholarly Studies.^[7] Many disciplines also offer graduate certificates.^[8]

Thornton was one of the first schools of music to offer an undergraduate program in music industry,^[9] and currently offers both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Music Industry.^[10] Thornton offers the only comprehensive program in Scoring for Television and Film.^[11] It also has a program in studio guitar performance.^[12]

In 2017, USC Thornton launched new professional master's degree programs in Arts Leadership;^[13] Community Music;^[14] and Music Industry, designed to train musicians in new ways to imagine a contemporary music career.^[15]

In 2018, USC Thornton announced a new model of classical music education^[16] for undergraduate Classical Performance and Composition students.^[17] Hallmarks of USC Thornton's redesigned curriculum include restructured lessons, rehearsals, and classes.^[18]^[19]

Bing Theatre
Bovard Auditorium
Carson Center
Joyce J. Cammilleri Hall
MacDonald Hall
Newman Hall
Ramo Hall
Schoenfeld Symphonic Hall
Songwriter's Theater
Tommy's Place

In 2007, USC Thornton alumnus and Distinguished Professor of Composition Morten Lauridsen became the eighth classical composer to receive the National Medal of Arts.^[21] Two years later, in 2009, alumnus and Judge Widney Professor of Music at USC Michael Tilson Thomas also received the National Medal of Arts.^[22]

Choral music

Classical guitar

Composition

Camae Ayewa
Stephen Hartke, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Composition
Ted Hearne
Veronika Krausas
Morten Lauridsen, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Composition
Andrew Norman
Frank Ticheli
Christopher Trapani
Nina C. Young

Conducting

Carl St.Clair
Michael Tilson Thomas, Judge Widney Professor of USC

Jazz studies

Keyboard studies

Music education

Robert Cutietta

Music industry

Musicology

Bruce Alan Brown

Music production

Rick Schmunk
Doug Petty
Sean Holt
Brian Malouf
Christian Amonson
Charles Gutierrez
Michael "Smidi" Smith

Popular music

Screen scoring

Strings/Harp

Studio/Jazz guitar

Theory/Aural skills

Vocal arts and opera

Rod Gilfry

Winds and Percussion

Michael Abels, composer
Lorin Alexander, composer
Herb Alpert, trumpeter and co-founder of A&M Records
Piotr Anderszewski, pianist
Christophe Beck, film and television score composer
Marco Beltrami, film score composer
Alec Benjamin, singer and songwriter
Robert Bernhardt, conductor
Jerry Blackstone, choral conductor
Bruce Broughton, composer
Harold Budd, ambient/avant-garde composer
Roberto Cani, concertmaster, Los Angeles Opera Orchestra
Todd Carey, singer-songwriter and musician
Reeve Carney, singer-songwriter and musician
William Edward Childs, jazz pianist and composer
Nicolas Chumachenco, violinist
Gerald Clayton, jazz pianist
Louis Cole, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter
Rozzi Crane, singer-songwriter
Daedelus, producer and multi-instrumentalist
Tamar Davis, R&B singer
John Dearman, classical guitarist
Martin Denny, creator of exotica music
Alan de Veritch, principal violist, New York Philharmonic; principal violist, Los Angeles Philharmonic
Glenn Dicterow, retired concertmaster, New York Philharmonic
Eldar Djangirov, jazz pianist
Dean Drummond, composer and conductor
William Eddins, conductor
Taylor Eigsti, jazz pianist
Jack Eskew, arranger/orchestrator
Flea (Michael Balzary), bassist, trumpeter and actor
Grace Fong, pianist and music educator
Nmon Ford, baritone
John Frizzell, film and television score composer
Neil Galanter, concert pianist
Kathryn Gallagher, singer and actress
Sara Gazarek, jazz musician and singer
Grant Gershon, conductor and pianist
Rod Gilfry, opera baritone
Renée Elise Goldsberry, actress
Jerry Goldsmith, film score composer
Ludwig Göransson, composer and conductor
Annie Gosfield, composer
Donald Grantham, composer and music educator
Maria Grenfell, composer
Danny Grissett, jazz pianist
Tina Guo, cellist
Tigran Hamasyan, jazz pianist
Thomas Hampson, lyric baritone
Lionel Hampton, jazz musician
Lisa Harriton, singer, songwriter and keyboardist
Jane Henschel, soprano
Wataru Hokoyama, composer
Marilyn Horne, mezzo-soprano
James Horner, film score composer
James Newton Howard, film score composer
Izza, singer and rapper
Paul Jackson Jr., jazz fusion guitarist
Tommy Johnson, film and television tubist, tuba pedagogue
Martin Katz, piano accompanist, conductor and music educator
Vladimir Khomyakov, classical pianist
King Princess, singer and songwriter (incomplete degree)
Rudolf Koelman, violinist, professor and recording artist
Thomas Kotcheff, composer
Robert Kral, film score composer
Giorgi Latso, concert pianist and composer
Morten Lauridsen, composer
Benjamin Lees, composer
Christopher Lennertz, film and television score composer
Charles Lloyd, jazz musician
Bear McCreary, television score composer
Mark McKenzie, composer
Angela Meade, Metropolitan Opera principal artist, soprano
Moontower, electro-pop trio
Ronald Muldrow, jazz musician
MUNA (Katie Gavin and Josette Maskin), indie pop band
Roger Neill, film and television score composer
Kelley O'Connor, mezzo-soprano
Martin O'Donnell, composer for video games
Christopher Parkening, classical guitarist
Leonard Pennario, pianist
Jeff Peterson, slack key guitarist
P. Q. Phan, composer of contemporary classical music
Cynthia Phelps, principal violist, New York Philharmonic
Elizabeth Pitcairn, violinist
Harvey Pittel, saxophonist
Gene Pokorny, principal tuba, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Basil Poledouris, film score composer
Harve Presnell, singer and actor
Brian Ralston, film score composer
Robert Ralston, pianist and organist
Lee Ritenour, session musician
Jessica Rivera, soprano
Leroy Robertson, composer and music educator
Robert Xavier Rodriguez, composer
Douglas Romayne, film and television score composer
Nathaniel Rosen, cellist
Elizabeth Rowe, principal flute, Boston Symphony Orchestra
Patrice Rushen, R&B singer, songwriter, composer and pianist
Stefan Sanderling, conductor
William Schmidt, composer
Garry Schyman, composer for film, television and video games
Tom Scott, session musician
Daniel Slatkin, film score composer
Jason Solowsky, film score composer
Thomas Stevens, trumpeter, composer and educator
Tomas Svoboda, composer and music educator
Salli Terri, singer and songwriter
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor, composer and pianist
Fiona Thompson, cellist
Martin Tillman, composer and cellist
Oleg Timofeyev, musicologist and classical guitarist
Dale Turner, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer/arranger
Zeynep Üçbaşaran, pianist
Video Game Pianist (Martin Leung), classical pianist
Walter Werzowa, composer and founder of Musikvergnuegen
Mack Wilberg, conductor, composer and arranger; director, Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Remi Wolf, singer and songwriter
Andrew York, classical guitarist and composer
24kGoldn, artist and rapper (incomplete degree)

[1]
"Music | Academics | USC". academics.usc.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
[2]
"History". USC Thornton School of Music. Retrieved 2021-07-01.
[3]
"University of Southern California Thornton School of Music: Ranking, Acceptance Rate, Tuition, and More". Music School Central. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
[4]
"The 1999 Slate 60: The 60 largest American charitable contributions of 1999". Slate. 17 February 2000. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
[5]
"Flora Thornton dies at 96; L.A. philanthropist and arts patron". Los Angeles Times. 8 May 2010. Retrieved 2021-07-04.
[6]
"Jason King named dean of USC Thornton School of Music". 24 January 2023.
[7]
"Degrees & Programs | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
[8]
"Admission | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-08-01.
[9]
"Music Industry | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
[10]
"Music Industry | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
[11]
"Screen Scoring | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
[12]
"Studio Guitar | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
[13]
"Arts Leadership | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
[14]
"Community Music | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
[15]
"Music Industry | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-18.
[16]
Music, USC Thornton School of. "The USC Thornton School of Music Creates A New Model for Classical Music Education". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2019-06-28.
[17]
"Classical Performance and Composition | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
[18]
"The New Classical | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
[19]
"USC Thornton announces five new master's degree programs". USC News. 2017-07-17. Retrieved 2019-06-28.
[20]
"Performance Halls & Studios | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-18.
[21]
National Endowment for the Arts Website Archived 2012-04-13 at the Wayback Machine
[22]
"Michael Tilson Thomas". NEA. 2013-04-17. Retrieved 2019-08-01.

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[Academics-1] [1]
"Music | Academics | USC". academics.usc.edu. Retrieved 2021-02-05.

[2] [2]
"History". USC Thornton School of Music. Retrieved 2021-07-01.

[3] [3]
"University of Southern California Thornton School of Music: Ranking, Acceptance Rate, Tuition, and More". Music School Central. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 2021-07-04.

[4] [4]
"The 1999 Slate 60: The 60 largest American charitable contributions of 1999". Slate. 17 February 2000. Retrieved 2021-07-04.

[5] [5]
"Flora Thornton dies at 96; L.A. philanthropist and arts patron". Los Angeles Times. 8 May 2010. Retrieved 2021-07-04.

[6] [6]
"Jason King named dean of USC Thornton School of Music". 24 January 2023.

[7] [7]
"Degrees & Programs | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-08-01.

[8] [8]
"Admission | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-08-01.

[9] [9]
"Music Industry | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.

[10] [10]
"Music Industry | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.

[11] [11]
"Screen Scoring | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.

[12] [12]
"Studio Guitar | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.

[13] [13]
"Arts Leadership | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.

[14] [14]
"Community Music | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.

[15] [15]
"Music Industry | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-18.

[16] [16]
Music, USC Thornton School of. "The USC Thornton School of Music Creates A New Model for Classical Music Education". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Retrieved 2019-06-28.

[17] [17]
"Classical Performance and Composition | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.

[18] [18]
"The New Classical | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-28.

[19] [19]
"USC Thornton announces five new master's degree programs". USC News. 2017-07-17. Retrieved 2019-06-28.

[20] [20]
"Performance Halls & Studios | USC Thornton School of Music". music.usc.edu. Retrieved 2021-07-18.

[21] [21]
National Endowment for the Arts Website Archived 2012-04-13 at the Wayback Machine

[22] [22]
"Michael Tilson Thomas". NEA. 2013-04-17. Retrieved 2019-08-01.

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USC Thornton School of Music

Choral music

Classical guitar

Composition

Conducting

Jazz studies

Keyboard studies

Music education

Music industry

Musicology

Music production

Popular music

Screen scoring

Strings/Harp

Studio/Jazz guitar

Theory/Aural skills

Vocal arts and opera

Winds and Percussion

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History

Programs

Performance halls and studios[20]

Faculty

Notable alumni

References

External links