Overview
Established by Charles C. Hirt in 1946, the choral music department has long been an innovator and leader in the development of graduate degree programs specifically designed for the choral conductor and the church musician. Graduates conduct choral groups of national prominence and hold positions as conductors and teachers throughout the world. The current faculty consists of specialists who lead regional choral and church ensembles and serve as clinicians and guest conductors in the United States and abroad.

Departmental ensembles have achieved local, national and international recognition through frequent performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, appearances at Divisional and National Conventions of the American Choral Directors Association and recognitions-including two Grand Prizes-in international choral competitions in Bulgaria, Spain and France.

For more information, please visit the USC Thornton Choral Music Website

Degrees Offered
BA, MM, DMA

Curriculum Requirements
The BA in choral music is a four-year, 128-unit program that combines the flexibility of a Bachelor of Arts program, including 64 units of general education and 20 elective credits, with an in-depth education in choral music that includes an introduction to choral music and course work in choral conducting, choral development, choral arranging, diction, and choral ensemble.

The MM in choral music is a two-year, 30-unit program that includes course work in choral conducting, choral music seminars, choral literature, choral development, music history, and vocal arts. The program culminates with a graduate recital.

The DMA in choral music requires a minimum of 68 units beyond the bachelor's degree and consists of five areas of study: the basic DMA curriculum, course work in the major, an academic field and two elective fields. Two doctoral recitals and a dissertation are required.

Ensembles
USC Thornton Chamber Singers
Jo-Michael Scheibe, conductor
Thornton’s premiere choral ensemble has toured internationally to wide acclaim. Chamber Singers will be one of only two American choirs to participate in the 10th World Symposium on Choral Music in Seoul, Korea in August 2014. They enjoy singing for many high profile events in Los Angeles and collaborating with many professional ensembles including the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

USC Thornton Concert Choir
Cristian Grases, conductor
The USC Thornton Concert Choir is a larger mixed choir of approximately 60 voices. Concert Choir performs music from diverse areas of the world including all musical periods. They often combine with Chamber Singers to form the USC Thornton Choral Artists. Most recently they combined to perform Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms with the USC Symphony Orchestra and this fall will perform Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem in Disney Hall.

Oriana Women's Choir
Kym Scott, Yoojin Muhn, and Anna O’Connell, conductors
The Oriana Women’s Choir welcomes any USC women to participate in this ensemble. Performances include early and modern choral music from around the world.

Apollo Men's Chorus
Matthew D. Nielsen, Karsten Longhurst, and Jason Saunders, conductors
The men of Apollo are a diverse group ranging from freshman to graduate students. Enjoy brotherhood and striving for excellence in performance of music from classical to contemporary a cappella.

University Chorus
Serena Eichhorn, Tatiana Taylor, and James Laff, conductors
The University Chorus is open to any USC student, faculty, or staff member as well as the larger university community. It provides an opportunity for members of the community to sing in a mixed chorus and perform outstanding choral music.

Faculty
Donald Brinegar
Suzi Digby
Cristian Grases
Mary Mattei
Jo-Michael Scheibe
Nick Strimple

Contact
Department of Choral and Sacred Music
USC Thornton School of Music
Los Angeles, California 90089-0851
(213) 821-5756
uschoral@usc.edu