At the USC Thornton School of Music, we celebrate our location in Los Angeles, the nation’s center for creativity and innovation.

As the music profession changes, the USC Thornton School of Music offers an innovative education that prepares students for careers at the highest level as performers, composers, educators and industry leaders.

Our three exceptional divisions offer cross-genre experiences unique among the country’s top music schools. As a leading international research institution, USC offers students a rigorous, global education that enriches their artistic and musical development.

Our Classical Performance and Composition Division’s curriculum challenges students to develop a distinct artistic voice and create a thriving life and career in music. Our goal? To train artists who will expand classical music’s influence and impact, now and in years to come.

Programs in the Division of Contemporary Music are among the industry’s best and most celebrated. Known for their embrace of new technology and creative collaborations with new media, dance, theater and musicians located around the world, our faculty and students have always been musical trailblazers.

USC Thornton integrates all aspects of musical reflection in our Research and Scholarly Studies Division coursework, from research and pedagogy to innovative strategies of arts leadership. Alumni are working on and off the stage – in higher education and K-12 classrooms, archives, studios, leadership positions, and more.

“I was able to broaden the scope of what I was studying at Thornton. I was really surprised by the kinds of skills I was able to acquire, things I didn’t think I’d be working on when I entered.” – Adam Karelin (BM ’22, MS ’23) USC’s 2022 Valedictorian who earned a BM in Composition with a minor in Linguistics, and a MS in Arts Leadership.

Visit our website for information regarding application and audition requirements, faculty, events, alumni spotlights, and more!