BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:icalendar-ruby CALSCALE:GREGORIAN X-WR-CALNAME:USC Thornton Symphony: Rimsky-Korsakov\, Britten\, & Respighi featuring USC President Beong-Soo Kim X-WR-TIMEZONE:Pacific Time (US & Canada) BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTAMP:20260910T215404Z UID:tag:localist.com\,2008:EventInstance_53489130490954 DTSTART:20260912T020000Z DTEND:20260912T030000Z DESCRIPTION:Sharon Lavery\, Conductor\nPresident Beong-Soo Kim\, Narrator\n \nNikolai Rimsky-Korsakov\, Capriccio espagnol\, Op. 34Benjamin Britten\, The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra\, Op. 34Ottorino Respighi\, Pini di Roma\, P. 141 (“Pines of Rome”) \n\nThe USC Thornton Symphony open s its season under the baton of Professor Sharon Lavery\, Resident Conduct or and Chair of Winds and Percussion Department at the USC Thornton School of Music\, with a program celebrating the extraordinary color\, character \, and expressive power of the symphony orchestra.\n\nRimsky-Korsakov’s dazzling Capriccio espagnol transforms Spanish folk melodies into a vibran t orchestral showpiece\, while Respighi’s monumental Pini di Roma (“Pi nes of Rome”) evokes the landscapes\, memories\, and pageantry of the Et ernal City in a breathtaking display of orchestral grandeur.\n\nA special highlight of the evening features USC President Beong-Soo Kim joining the orchestra as narrator for Benjamin Britten’s beloved The Young Person’ s Guide to the Orchestra. Through a series of imaginative variations on a theme by Henry Purcell\, Britten introduces the orchestra's distinctive vo ices before bringing the full ensemble together in an exhilarating fugue f inale.\n \n\nABOUT USC PRESIDENT BEONG-SOO KIM\n\nAs the 13th president of the University of Southern California\, Beong-Soo Kim leads one of the wo rld’s top private research universities — home to 23 schools\; more th an 46\,000 students\; 4\,700 faculty\; more than 500\,000 alumni\; and Kec k Medicine of USC\, one of California’s leading academic health systems — all united by a mission to advance knowledge and transform lives. Kim was appointed president by the USC Board of Trustees in February 2026\, fo llowing seven months serving as interim president.\n\nAs president\, Kim l aunched the Open Dialogue Project\, aimed at strengthening USC’s academi c culture of engagement with differing perspectives. He also formed an AI Strategy Committee\, and launched a number of university-wide initiatives to engage faculty\, staff\, and students on the opportunities and challeng es posed by AI in research\, the classroom\, and operations. Recognizing t he importance of the Trojan Family\, Kim has focused on re-engaging alumni across the globe\, including by relaunching alumni networks. He has also worked to strengthen USC’s partnerships with private industry\, foundati ons\, and local community organizations and leaders. Kim is recognized for his thought leadership on free expression and the future of higher educat ion\, and enjoys communicating with broader audiences and the Trojan Famil y through his presidential podcast\, “Trojan Talks.”\n\nKim first join ed USC senior leadership in 2020 as senior vice president and general coun sel. After helping the university navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic\, he resolved the university’s legacy legal issues\, strengthened governa nce over the health system and health sciences schools\, and enabled major investments in research and innovation. He has also been deeply involved in USC’s athletics programs\, having served as a key member of the athle tics department’s interim leadership team in 2023.\n\nPrior to USC\, Kim held senior roles at Kaiser Permanente\, was a partner at an internationa l law firm\, and served in the U.S. Department of Justice\, where he led t he major frauds section in Los Angeles.\n\nKim has taught constitutional i nterpretation at Harvard\, trial advocacy at the National Advocacy Center\ , and served as an adjunct professor at USC Gould School of Law. He is a f requent speaker on academic freedom\, health system compliance\, and the f uture of college athletics.\n\nThe son of Korean immigrants who both atten ded graduate school at USC\, Kim was born and raised in the Los Angeles ar ea\, where he attended local public schools before graduating Phi Beta Kap pa and magna cum laude from Harvard College. He earned a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and his law degree from Harvard Law S chool.\n\nDuring the COVID-19 pandemic\, Kim and his wife\, Bonnie Wongtra kool\, performed cello and piano “porch concerts” for their neighbors\ , reflecting their belief in the power of service\, community\, and the ar ts. Together\, they have two children.\n\n--\nAdmission is free and open t o the public with an RSVP. All Thornton Signature Series Events have a sta ndby line for fully booked events. Seating is first-come\, first-served. P lease arrive early to claim your ticket and allow enough time for parking\ , locating the venue\, and checking in. If you arrive less than five minut es before the start time\, you will forfeit your spot to the waitlist/stan dby line. GEO:34.020914;-118.285537 LOCATION:Bovard Auditorium (ADM) SUMMARY:USC Thornton Symphony: Rimsky-Korsakov\, Britten\, & Respighi featu ring USC President Beong-Soo Kim URL;VALUE=URI:https://calendar.usc.edu/event/usc-thornton-symphony-20260911 CATEGORIES:Arts CATEGORIES:Music CATEGORIES:Event Highlights END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR