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]
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]
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]