The University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music has been hosting a year-long celebration of Quincy Jones’ life and legacy, and in the wake of the great artist-songwriter-producer-entrepreneur’s passing earlier this month, the series continues with three more of the six celebratory events, which are presented in coordination with USC’s Visions and Voices presenting arm and the Recording Academy Black Music Collective.
The previous events were: a September kick-off screening of “Duke Ellington We Love You Madly,” the 1973 CBS TV special for which Jones was musical director; a vocal masterclass with Patti Austin; followed by an onstage panel of Quincy Jones collaborators, including Austin, Greg Phillinganes, Siedah Garrett, Jerry Hey, JR Robinson, Paul Jackson Jr, Ed Eckstine and others.
The events honoring Quincy will continue this month, on November 21, with a panel on “Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration,” the 1992 album that he executive produced, and then concerts and a panel in March 2025 for what would have been his 92nd birthday. Details can be found below; all events are free and open to the public, although reservations are required — head here for more information and reservations.
The Making of “Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration”—A Close Listening Session
DATE Thursday, 11/21
TIME 6:30 pm
LOCATION Carson Soundstage (CTV 136)
In 1992, Mervyn Warren, a five-time Grammy Award–winning composer-arranger and original member of Take 6, and a longtime collaborator of Quincy Jones— spearheaded a soulful rendition of Handel’s Messiah. Featuring an incredible array of special guests, the album spanned spirituals, blues, jazz, ragtime, big band, fusion, R&B, and hip hop, and won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album. The album was executive produced by Quincy Jones.
This special event will include a close listening of the album in its entirety and a panel with Warren and special guests, including platinum-selling, five-time Grammy-nominated singer Tevin Campbell and Claude McKnight, lead tenor and founder of Take 6, the most awarded a cappella group in history, who will reminisce and share captivating stories about the album’s unique creation and recording near USC during the Los Angeles uprising and riots.
Schedule:
6:30 pm – 7:45 pm – All audience members are invited to participate in a “close listening” of the album. Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration will be played in its entirety, in sequence. If you have never heard the album, or want to re-hear it, or if you simply want to be part of a collective listening experience to hear the album in a public setting, please join.
7:45 pm – 8:00 pm – Intermission
8:00 pm – 9:30 pm – After the close listening session, stay for a discussion panel / Q&A with Mervyn Warren and special guests, as they reminisce and share captivating stories about the album’s unique creation and recording near USC during the Los Angeles uprising and riots. This panel will be moderated by Jason King, dean of USC Thornton School of Music, and Dr. Tram Sparks, chair of the USC Thornton Choral & Sacred Music program.
“The Making of Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration” 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.
This event is presented by USC Visions & Voices: the Arts & Humanities Initiative.
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Quincy Jones Symphonic: A USC Concert Experience
DATE Friday, 3/14
TIME 7:30 pm
LOCATION Bovard Auditorium (ADM)
In addition to his many other accolades, Quincy Jones has had a profound impact on film and television music, producing and composing over 30 scores, including notable works such as The Pawnbroker, In the Heat of the Night, and In Cold Blood. Throughout his illustrious career, he has received seven Oscar nominations, making history in 1967 as the first Black composer to earn a nomination in the Original Song category. And in November, Jones will receive a special Academy Award for his lifetime achievements from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at the 15th Governor Awards.
Under the direction of Conducting Chair Larry J. Livingston, the USC Thornton Symphony will honor Jones with a special evening dedicated to his film and TV compositions. The program will feature selections from his iconic scores for Roots and The Color Purple, as well as other surprises, reminding us of Jones’s innovative work and powerful legacy in music and cinema.
“Quincy Jones Symphonic: A USC Concert Experience” 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.
This event is presented by USC Visions & Voices: the Arts & Humanities Initiative.
Vibe Revived: Reflections from Vibe Magazine’s Trailblazing Writers and Editors
DATE Saturday, 3/15
TIME 7:30 pm
LOCATION Newman Recital Hall (AHF 151)
In the early 1990s, Quincy Jones launched Vibe, a hugely influential publication that forever changed the landscape of Black popular culture. According to Complex, it was “the first periodical to cover rap, R&B, rock, reggae, dance music, fashion, sports, and politics—all through the prism of what people were just beginning to call ‘urban culture.’” The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts notes that “the magazine included interviews with notable figures in American hip-hop, stories showcasing Black intellectuals, such as Dr. Cornel West, and advertised Black-owned businesses such as Phat Farm and FUBU.”
Held in conjunction with the 2025 Pop Conference hosted at the USC Thornton School of Music, this event will gather original music writers, critics, and editors from the early days of Vibe to discuss their experiences, the magazine, and its legacy.
Please check back for guests to be announced.
“Vibe Revived: Reflections from Vibe Magazine’s Trailblazing Writers and Editors” 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.
This event is presented by USC Visions & Voices: the Arts & Humanities Initiative.
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