Summary
- Solange Knowles has been named the first Scholar-In-Residence at USC’s Thornton School of Music for a three-year term
- She will teach a course on music curation in collaboration with her agency, Saint Heron, starting in Fall 2027
- The role celebrates her non-traditional path and aims to bring her unique perspective into academic music scholarship
The USC Thornton School of Music has made a landmark appointment, naming Grammy-winning artist and cultural polymath Solange Knowles as its first-ever Scholar-In-Residence. This multi-year residency, which began this month, will see “Professor Knowles” bringing her unique, multidisciplinary perspective on music and culture directly into the university’s curriculum.
As part of her duties, Solange will teach a new course focused on cultural curation, tentatively titled Records of Discovery: Methodologies for Music and Cultural Curatorial Practices. The class, set to launch in Fall 2027, is a deep dive into constructing curatorial frameworks that reflect the expansive landscapes—both sonic and visual—that surround musical expressions. The course will be taught in collaboration with her creative agency Saint Heron, which she started in 2013. Thornton School of Music Dean Jason King told the Los Angeles Times that she’ll help to develop the school’s curation program which has been an interest amongst the music industry including, “creative directors, documentary filmmakers, DJs and people who work in experimental design.”
In a personal reflection, Solange acknowledged her non-traditional path to academia, noting she is a GED graduate and a teenage mother. She expressed excitement about her new role as a “vessel of guidance,” stating, “I feel really inspired by the idea of my 15-year-old self being able to have someone sort of walk me through the footsteps of what I was about to embark on.”
The residency includes hosting student workshops and supporting faculty in developing long-term music curation programs. Solange’s appointment is a significant signal that institutions are now formally recognizing the value of creative leadership and cultural curation in music scholarship.
