Drumming News
Loyola Marymount University will celebrate the Class of 2025 with two prominent cultural and intellectual icons as its commencement speakers. Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker and six-time Grammy Award-winning musician, will deliver the keynote address at LMU’s undergraduate commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 17. The following day, Sunday, May 18, renowned theoretical physicist and author Brian Greene will address graduates of LMU’s master’s and doctoral programs, as well as Loyola Law School.
A Creative Force at the Forefront of Culture
Questlove is widely recognized as a multi-hyphenate creative force whose work spans music, film, literature, and culinary arts. Best known as the co-founder and drummer of the legendary hip-hop group The Roots, he also serves as musical director for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where The Roots are the house band.
A New York Times best-selling author and celebrated producer, Questlove has collaborated with iconic artists such as Jay-Z, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Common, and John Legend. He is a key producer behind the 2015 cast recording ofHamilton, and his influence extends beyond the studio and stage.
In 2021, Questlove made his directorial debut with Summer of Soul, a compelling documentary about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. The film won the 2022 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. He followed it with Sly Lives! — also known as The Burden of Black Genius — a dynamic and critically acclaimed portrait of music legend Sly Stone that premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. Questlove also co-directed Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL, a feature documentary chronicling the musical legacy of Saturday Night Live.
A Champion of Scientific Discovery and Public Understanding
At the graduate and law commencement, LMU will welcome Brian Greene, a celebrated physicist and public intellectual known for making complex scientific ideas accessible to global audiences. A professor of physics and mathematics at Columbia University and director of its Center for Theoretical Physics, Greene is the author of four best-selling books, including The Elegant Universe and Until the End of Time — the latter named one of The New York Times’ “100 Notable Books of 2020.”
Greene has hosted Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning NOVA miniseries based on his books and co-founded the World Science Festival, a global event that draws millions to its thought-provoking programs. An engaging public figure, he has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and in shows and films like The Big Bang Theory and The Last Mimzy.
Celebrating LMU’s Class of 2025
Nearly 2,900 students will receive degrees from LMU this year. Commencement ceremonies will be held at Sunken Garden on the university’s Westchester campus and will be livestreamed for family and friends around the world. More information is available at lmu.edu/commencement.
