Quincy Jones Symphonic: A USC Concert Experience
Part of the yearlong event series Quincy Jones: Beyond Category

ADMISSION & CAMPUS ACCESS:
Admission is free. Reservations are required. Campus access is limited to registered guests and USC students, staff, and faculty with current USC ID.

JOIN WAITLIST 

DESCRIPTION:
Quincy Jones Symphonic is the first full-length concert dedicated to honoring the legendary Quincy Jones since his passing in November 2024. 

Held on what would have been his 92nd birthday, this unforgettable evening will feature the USC Thornton Symphony in a celebration of Jones’s extraordinary compositional legacy and his profound impact on film, television, music, and culture across the 20th and 21st centuries. The program will include selections from his legendary scores for television programs like Roots and award-winning films like The Color Purple, orchestral renditions of his iconic pop and jazz hits for artists like Lesley Gore and Michael Jackson, and lesser-known gems from his remarkable seven-decade catalog. 

Anthony Parnther, Music Director of California’s San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra and conductor of film scores including Oppenheimer and Encanto, will be guest conductor for the evening. Produced and hosted by USC Thornton School of Music Dean Jason King, the event will feature musical oversight by USC Thornton’s Chair of Conducting Larry J. Livingston and original arrangements by Jazz Studies doctoral candidate Ennis Harris. 

Special guest performers will include:
> Derrick Lawrence, prize-winning baritone and USC Thornton faculty
> Ledisi, Grammy-winning recording artist
> Stevie Mackey, renowned artist, singer, and celebrity vocal coach
> Greg Phillinganes, legendary keyboardist and famed Quincy Jones collaborator
> Seth Parker Woods, multiple Grammy–nominated cellist and USC Thornton faculty 
> Student performers and instrumentalists from across the USC Thornton 
 

This event is part of Quincy Jones: Beyond Category, an event series organized by the USC Thornton School of Music to explore, elevate, and celebrate Quincy Jones’s life and legacy. Working across styles and idioms including classical, jazz, pop, R&B, and film scoring—and breaking ground for African American achievement in the entertainment industries—Jones has garnered the highest levels of critical and commercial acclaim. 

Related events:

Screening Quincy Jones: Duke Ellington… We Love You Madly
Friday, September 20, 2024, at 7 p.m.
Norris Cinema Theatre
Get more info HERE.

Presenting Patti Austin: A Vocal Masterclass
Wednesday, October 23, 2024, from 3 to 5 p.m. 
Carson Soundstage
Get more info HERE.

In Tune with Quincy Jones: A Special Panel Event Featuring Q’s Key Collaborators
Wednesday, October 23, 2024, at 7:30 p.m.
Bovard Auditorium
Get more info HERE.

The Making of Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration—A Close Listening Session
Thursday, November 21, 2024, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Carson Soundstage
Get more info HERE.

Vibe Revived: Reflections from Vibe Magazine’s Trailblazing Writers and Editors
Saturday, March 15, 2025, at 7:30 p.m.
Newman Recital Hall
Get more info HERE.

Presented by USC Visions and Voices. Organized by the USC Thornton School of Music in collaboration with the Recording Academy’s Black Music Collective.

Photo: Patrick Kovarik/AFP via Getty Images