Performing artist and USC alum Nina Shekhar and music executive Sylvia Rhone will speak at the Thornton School of Music’s commencement ceremony, the school announced Monday. Rhone will receive Thornton’s inaugural Distinguished Visionary Leadership Award and Shekhar will receive the Outstanding Alumni Award.

Shekhar, a Thornton alum, is a composer, producer and multimedia artist. Leading orchestras have commissioned and performed her music, including the New York Philharmonic and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Her piece “Lumina” was recently added to the New York Philharmonic’s list of required excerpts for auditioning musicians, the only piece in the list by a living composer with distinction. 

As a performing artist, Shekhar is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, performing on flute, piano and saxophone. She has been featured in the solo competition section at the 53rd Annual National Flute Association Convention, and she performed in the Detroit International Jazz Festival.

Shekhar is currently on the composition faculty of Mannes School of Music at The New School. She is also a doctoral candidate in music composition at Princeton University.

Rhone, nicknamed the “godmother of the music industry,” has held senior positions at major record labels, including Warner Music Group and Atlantic Records. Raised in Harlem, she was the first Black woman to be named CEO of a major record label owned by a Fortune 500 company. In 2023, Billboard named Rhone its Women In Music Executive Of The Year.

Rhone most recently served as the chairwoman and CEO of Epic Records, a division of Sony Music, from 2019 to 2025. During her tenure, she oversaw the success of artists including Travis Scott, Zara Larsson, Tyla and Madison Beer. In her previous career at Universal Motown Records and Elektra Entertainment Group, Rhone worked with Drake, Lil Wayne, Metallica, AC/DC and Nicki Minaj.

Thornton Dean Jason King said in a press release that bringing in Shekhar and Rhone as speakers can show Thornton graduates the varied possibilities of a career in music.

“Nina Shekhar represents the fearless artistic voice we strive to cultivate in our students: one that pushes boundaries and speaks with urgency and individuality. Sylvia Rhone represents the pinnacle of vision, influence, and leadership in the global music business,” King said. “Bringing them together reflects the reality our students are entering: a world where creativity and leadership are deeply intertwined, and where impact can take many forms.” 

Thornton will host its commencement ceremony at 9 a.m., May 15 at Epstein Family Plaza.