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. The school is located on the USC University Park Campus, south of Downtown Los Angeles.
The Thornton School is noted for blending the rigors of a traditional conservatory-style education with a progressive 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.
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History
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. 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.
In 2023, Jason King was announced as the new dean of USC Thornton, following Robert Cutietta stepping down at the end of 2022.
Programs
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. Many disciplines also offer graduate certificates.
Thornton was one of the first schools of music to offer an undergraduate program in music industry, and currently offers both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Music Industry. Thornton offers the only comprehensive program in Scoring for Television and Film. It also has a program in studio guitar performance.
In 2017, USC Thornton launched new professional master's degree programs in Arts Leadership; Community Music; and Music Industry, designed to train musicians in new ways to imagine a contemporary music career.
In 2018, USC Thornton announced a new model of classical music education for undergraduate Classical Performance and Composition students. Hallmarks of USC Thornton's redesigned curriculum include restructured lessons, rehearsals, and classes.
Performance halls and studios
Source:
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
Faculty
In 2007, USC Thornton alumnus and Distinguished Professor of Composition Morten Lauridsen became the eighth classical composer to receive the National Medal of Arts. Two years later, in 2009, Michael Tilson Thomas, alumnus and Judge Widney Professor of Music at USC Thornton, also received the National Medal of Arts.
Choral music
Suzi Digby
Jo-Michael Scheibe
Classical guitar
Brian Head
William Kanengiser
Pepe Romero
Scott Tennant
Composition
Camae Ayewa
Stephen Hartke, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Composition
Ted Hearne
Veronika Krausas
Morten Lauridsen, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Composition
Andrew Norman
Conducting
Carl St.Clair
Michael Tilson Thomas, Judge Widney Professor of USC
Jazz studies
Luciana Souza
Clarence Penn
Jason Goldman
Otmaro Ruiz
Roy McCurdy
Vince Mendoza
Bob Mintzer
Darek Oles
Josh Nelson
Bob Sheppard
Keyboard studies
Michael Arrom
Stewart Gordon
Jeffrey Kahane
Daniel Pollack
Brooks Smith
Bernadene Blaha
Kevin Fitz-Gerald
Music education
Robert Cutietta
Music industry
Kevin Lyman
Brian Malouf
Richard Wolf
Musicology
Bruce Alan Brown
Music production
Rick Schmunk
Doug Petty
Sean Holt
Brian Malouf
Christian Amonson
Charles Gutierrez
Michael "Smidi" Smith
Popular music
Paul Jackson Jr.
Alphonso Johnson
Patrice Rushen
Screen scoring
Laura Karpman
Garry Schyman
Christopher Young
Strings/Harp
Glenn Dicterow
Karen Dreyfus
Ralph Kirshbaum
Andrew Shulman
JoAnn Turovsky
Studio/Jazz guitar
Bruce Forman
Frank Potenza
Richard Smith
Theory/Aural skills
Brian Head
Veronika Krausas
Vocal arts and opera
Rod Gilfry
Winds and Percussion
Yehuda Gilad
Julie Landsman
Jim Self
Allan Vogel
James Walker