Events Calendar

SPARK! 6th Annual Visions and Voices Multimedia Showcase

Visions and Voices’s annual kickoff event is an arts extravaganza that will feature music, dance, performance art and spoken word. The event will open with a mesmerizing pre-show performance by VJ Scott Pagano and composer Brian King, incorporating stunning visuals and enthralling live music. Additional performers will include We Are Heroes, an exhilarating all-female dance crew who won season four of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew; National Poetry Slam champion Javon Johnson, who will inspire audiences with a dynamic spoken-word performance; singer/songwriter Kenton Chen whose captivating music combines jazz, classical music and pop; two-time HBO Def Poet Joe Hernandez-Kolski, whose powerful combination of poetry and comedy will make you laugh and think; and the soulful and charismatic Rozzi Crane, who will perform with her band at a lively post-show reception. The event will also include a welcome by USC Provost Elizabeth Garrett and USC cinematic-arts professor Tara McPherson. Attendees will receive free Visions and Voices T-shirts and bags!

SEATING & GIVEAWAYS ARE LIMITED. ARRIVE EARLY!
Pick up a wristband at the event check-in starting at 4:30 p.m. on Trousdale Parkway in front of Bovard Auditorium. Wristbands, shirts and bags will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 4:45 p.m.

About the Artists

Kenton Chen is the music director and founding member of the Backbeats, third-place winners on season two of NBC’s The Sing-Off. Chen grew up taking violin lessons from his father and singing in church and school choirs. He graduated from USC with a degree in vocal jazz. In recent years, Chen helped launch L.A.’s first Asian American Music Festival. He has shared the stage with many acclaimed artists, including Ben Folds, Sheryl Crow, Sara Bareilles, Stevie Wonder and Natalie Cole. An avid songwriter, Chen combines jazz, classical and pop influences to create music that is playful, thoughtful and full of heart. This summer, he toured around the country performing his solo material as the opening act for Ben Folds.

Inspired by Adele’s honest soulfulness and Beyoncé’s commanding charisma, Rozzi Crane is passionate to a fault and diligent in her effort to stir an audience. Born and raised in San Francisco, the 19-year-old singer-songwriter fell in love with music at her first grade talent show. Since starting study in USC’s elite Popular Music program, Rozzi has been the opening support for artists such as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, the Steve Miller Band and Neal Schon of Journey. This summer, she joined Sergio Mendes as a lead vocalist on their international tour. Four of her original songs can be heard on Lifetime Television’s Sins of a Mother, starring Jill Scott. She lives in Los Angeles where she recently won the 2011 L.A. College Battle of the Bands.

A Chicago native, Joe Hernandez-Kolski is a two-time HBO Def Poet who combines poetry and comedy. Described as “one of the most brilliant, courageous and gifted artists on the globe” by Michael Eric Dyson, professor at Georgetown University, Hernandez-Kolski performs at colleges and universities nationwide. Most recently he was seen on ABC’s Mr. Sunshine with Allison Janney and Matthew Perry. He has opened for a wide array of artists, including legendary musician John Mellencamp and comedian Carlos Mencia. He is currently performing a brand new solo show entitled Awake at the Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles. He lives in Los Angeles where he is the proud host of Downbeat 720, an open-mic for high school youth that is now entering its tenth year.

Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, Javon Johnson made second homes out of libraries, bookstores and any other place that harbored knowledge. Johnson is a National Poetry Slam champion and only the second person in Slam National’s history to win back-to-back titles. He has appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry and BET’s Lyric Café, and he co-wrote poetic narration for the Showtime documentary Crossover. He received a PhD in performance studies at Northwestern University and is currently the Visions and Voices postdoctoral fellow at USC, where he teaches in the Department of American Studies and Ethnicity. With the hope that he will touch others in the same way that so many writers have influenced him, Johnson uses poetry to dismantle systems of oppression and inequality.

Brian King is the director and associate professor of practice in scoring for motion pictures and television at USC. He has worked as a composer, orchestrator, player, engineer and producer. His film projects include Rushmore, The Rugrats Movie and Get Bruce and he has composed for such television shows as The Proud Family, King of Queens and The Love Chronicles. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, he owned a recording studio in Atlanta where worked with such artists as REM and the B-52s.

Scott Pagano is a hybrid fine artist and independent creative professional recognized for his high-end, multimedia works. Simultaneously cinematic, photographic and synthetic, Pagano’s visual works offer a window into the future of new-media art. Pagano works with globally recognized production companies and independent musicians on commercial projects, music videos and transmedia pieces including short film narratives and interactive digital projects.

We Are Heroes is a dynamic all-female dance crew that was crowned season-four champions of MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew. Their unique style of popping helped them become the first all-female crew to win ABDC! Hailing from around the world, the members of We Are Heroes connect with audiences through their diversity, talent, personal stories and exhilarating performances. After being on talk shows like Ellen and Oprah and working with such artists as Rihanna, Omarion and Justin Bieber, We Are Heroes continues to accomplish their goal of inspiring people of all ages through dance. “We Are Heroes” is not just a name to these women. The crewmembers strive to challenge themselves and to provide positive role models for their fans around the world.

Location: George Finley Bovard Administration Building (ADM) - Bovard Auditorium

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Daria Yudacufski