Aloe Blacc and Allen Stone will be the featured musical performers at the investiture of Beong-Soo Kim as USC president on Friday, Oct. 16, the university told Annenberg Media in an exclusive announcement on Tuesday. Students from USC’s Thornton School of Music and the School of Dramatic Arts will also take part in the festivities.
Blacc, a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter who graduated from USC in 2001 with a degree in linguistics and psychology, will perform as part of the ceremony marking Kim’s formal installation as university president. He is best known for songs like “The Man” and “Wake Me Up.”
The singer-songwriter has maintained strong connections to the university since graduating. In April of this year, Blacc appeared at an event hosted by the USC Dornsife Black Studies Center speaking on the power of Black culture.
“Returning to this campus is always special, but marking the start of a new era of leadership carries a deeper significance,” Blacc said in a statement to Annenberg Media. “In my travels around the world, I’ve witnessed how when a crowd sings together, differences fall away and we find a collective heartbeat. That is the spirit of community and purpose I hope we bring to this moment as we welcome the new president.”
Blacc will share the stage with Stone, a soul and R&B singer-songwriter known for his tracks like “Consider Me” and his cover of “Georgia On My Mind.”
The singers were chosen due to their “excellence, quality and achievement,” according to Jason King, dean of the Thornton School of Music.
“Aloe Blacc really was at the top of that list. He’s somebody who seems so committed to the use of music to produce positive and better social outcomes,” King said. “I think he’s a profile in courage and what a musician who takes a stand and stands for something really looks like.”
When it came to having Stone perform, King said his experience as an artist made him an exciting addition.
“He’s one of those what I would call a ‘journeying artist,’ somebody who’s been around for quite some time in the music industry and has just been producing music at a really high level for a very, very long time,” King said.
In a statement to Annenberg Media, Stone said: “The musical talent coming out of USC is unreal, so getting the chance to make some music with these folks, it was an easy yes.”
King worked closely with the president’s office to pick both performers. Speaking about Kim, he said, “He’s also a musician, which helps. His status as an artist, as well as a lawyer, and now a university leader running a major university, is fascinating.”
At the age of five, Kim began playing the cello and later was a student under Eleonore Schoenfeld, a former professor at Thornton.
In addition to Blacc and Stone, students from Thornton and the School of Dramatic Arts will take the stage on Friday. The aim is to highlight the artistry already demonstrated at USC.
“Part of our goal is always to have a stage in which students can share that stage with professional artists at really high levels. I’m very excited for the student performers because they do great work and just really exceptional,” King said.
The investiture will take place Friday on the University Park campus. All performers will have separate sets. The day will begin at 9:30 a.m. in Alumni Memorial Park with a celebration to follow from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. in McCarthy Quad.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article incorrectly names Dean Jason King as James King.