USC Thornton School of Music Outstanding Alumni Award Recipient Nina Shekhar (MM '20, Composition) addresses the school's Class of 2026 at the 143rd Commencement Ceremony for the University of Southern California. About Nina Shekhar: Nina Shekhar is one of the most widely performed composers of her generation. Described as “tart and compelling” (New York Times), “vivid” (Washington Post), an “orchestral supernova” (LA Times), and a "rare composer who opens our ears a little wider each time" (Chicago Tribune), her music has been commissioned and performed by the New York Philharmonic, LA Philharmonic and ensembles across the United States & the world. Her work has been featured by the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Library of Congress, Walt Disney Concert Hall, and National Gallery of Art, among others. Recent events include China and Germany tours with the New York Philharmonic, her Hollywood Bowl debut with the LA Philharmonic, and international performances by the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Adelaide Symphony, and Antwerp Symphony Orchestra. Current projects include a new film & orchestral work for LA Phil in collaboration with Oscar-winning director Alejandro González Iñárritu, a commission for the New York Philharmonic, a new accordion concerto for a consortium of orchestras led by St. Louis Symphony, a concerto for MIDI keyboard and choir for The Crossing, featured performances by San Francisco Symphony, and a children's interactive piece co-commissioned by Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), The People's Music School, and Play on Philly (sponsored by LA Phil and New Music USA). Shekhar is the recipient of the 2021 Rudolf Nissim Prize and the 2018 ASCAP Foundation Leonard Bernstein Award, funded by the Bernstein family. The New York Philharmonic recently added Shekhar's piece "Lumina" to their list of required excerpts for auditioning musicians, the only piece by a living composer with this distinction.