USC creates Frank Ticheli scholarship

With a generous gift to the USC Thornton School of Music, Frank Ticheli, USC Thornton faculty member and winner of the prestigious Charles Ives and Goddard Lieberson Awards, both from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, establishes a prestigious new endowed scholarship in his name.

To be awarded in the 2012-2013 school year and annually thereafter, the Frank Ticheli Endowed Composition Scholarship helps financially support one or more graduate composition students, with preference given to those seeking Master’s degrees. Recipients of the scholarship earn the special designation of “Ticheli Composition Scholars.”

Ticheli (b. 1958) joined the faculty of the USC Thornton School of Music in 1991, where he is professor of composition.

“I have spent twenty years as part of the Thornton Family and felt it was time for me to do something important to support the School I love so dearly," Ticheli said. "I hope this scholarship will benefit talented and deserving young composition students at USC for many decades to come.”

From 1991 to 1998, Ticheli was also composer in residence of the Pacific Symphony, and he still enjoys a close working relationship with that orchestra and their music director, Carl St. Clair.

“The creation of this lead gift reflects Mr. Ticheli’s steadfast commitment to the Thornton School and its students. It is especially meaningful when a faculty member decides to give back to our students, not only by sharing their knowledge and wisdom, but also in helping them financially,” said USC Thornton Dean Robert Cutietta.

This new scholarship is the second to be established by faculty in the USC Thornton Composition Department this year. Morten Lauridsen, professor emeritus of composition, also endowed a scholarship for composition students. The commitment of these faculty members to invest in students and the School in this way further underscores the dedication USC Thornton has to support talented young musicians.

The public is encouraged to contribute to the fund in order to help deserving young composers. For more information about supporting the USC Thornton School of Music, contact the USC Thornton Office of Development at http://www/usc.edu/schools/music/giving

Frank Ticheli’s orchestral works have received considerable recognition in the U.S. and Europe. Orchestral performances have come from the Philadelphia Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Dallas Symphony, American Composers Orchestra, the radio orchestras of Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Saarbruecken, and Austria, and the orchestras of Austin, Bridgeport, Charlotte, Colorado, Haddonfield, Harrisburg, Hong Kong, Jacksonville, Lansing, Long Island, Louisville, Lubbock, Memphis, Nashville, Omaha, Phoenix, Portland, Richmond, San Antonio, San Jose, and others.

Grants and commissions include his selection as a recipient of a Chamber Music America Grant to compose a work for the Philadelphia-based saxophone quartet Prism. He has also received commissions and grants from the American Music Center, Pacific Symphony, Pacific Chorale, Worldwide Concurrent Premieres, Inc., Prince George's Philharmonic Orchestra, Adrian Symphony, City of San Antonio, Stephen F. Austin State University, University of Michigan, Trinity University, and the Indiana Bandmasters Association. His work, Angels in the Architecture, for concert band with soprano soloist, was commissioned by Kingsway International and received its premiere performance in July 2008 by a massed band of young musicians from Australia and the U.S. at the Sydney Opera House.

Ticheli is well known for his works for concert band, many of which have become standards in the repertoire. In addition to composing, he has appeared as guest conductor of his music at Carnegie Hall, at many American universities and music festivals, and in cities throughout the world, including Schladming, Austria, at the Mid-Europe Music Festival; London and Manchester, England, with the Meadows Wind Ensemble; Singapore, with the Singapore Armed Forces Central Band; and numerous cities in Japan, with the Bands of America National Honor Band.Ticheli is the winner of the 2006 NBA/William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest for his Symphony No. 2. Other awards for his music include the Charles Ives and the Goddard Lieberson Awards, both from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Walter Beeler Memorial Prize, and First Prize awards in the Texas Sesquicentennial Orchestral Composition Competition, Britten-on-the-Bay.

Recent works include CONSTELLATION, a three-movement choral work, RIFFS FOR STEVEN, a work for solo drum set and orchestra featuring drummer Peter Erskine, and a clarinet concerto for soloist Haken Rosengren, JoAnn Falletta, conductor. Ticheli received his doctoral and master’s degrees in composition from the University of Michigan. His works are published by Manhattan Beach, Southern, Hinshaw, and Encore Music, and are recorded on the labels of Albany, Chandos, Clarion, Klavier, Koch International and Mark Records.

Further information about Frank Ticheli may be found at www.frankticheli.com


About the USC Thornton School of MusicThe USC Thornton School of Music brings together a stellar faculty chosen from a broad spectrum of the music profession and musically gifted students from around the globe. Founded in 1884, and today the oldest continually operating cultural institution in Los Angeles, the USC Thornton School consistently ranks among the top one percent of the nation’s music schools and conservatories. Graduates of the school attain positions with major orchestras, ensembles, recording studios and music industry firms and perform on stages and in studios around the world.Blending the rigors of a traditional conservatory-style education with the benefits of studying at a leading research university, USC Thornton offers students a thorough music education in a real-world context.

Located at the center of Los Angeles, the school is the collegiate partner of choice for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the GRAMMY Foundation and The Recording Academy, to name a few.

In addition to their work with these ensembles, USC Thornton students are a constant presence in local classrooms, reaching out to the next generation of musicians through music education and appreciation courses. With its faculty, its students, its events and its work, USC Thornton is one of the most important cultural resources in Los Angeles.