STATE OF THE ART

Brendan McCanta (CV, ‘31) was awarded first place in both Classical Voice and Musical Theatre at National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) National Student Auditions in Philadelphia in June 2025. Brendan also made it to the Young American Grand Prix (YAGP) World Finals in Ballet, making the top 12. The renowned event took place in Tampa Bay, Florida, bringing together 1,900 young dancers from 46 countries.

Jamie Ma (CV, ‘29) was a winner in the 2025-2026 Southern California Philharmonic Young Artists Solo Competition in the Vocal Artiste division. The Young Artists Solo Competition continues to be a mainstay for the orchestra, attracting many talented students, ranging from 5 to 23 years of age, with the winners earning a chance to perform with the orchestra in the three spring concerts.

Joel Lee (CV, ‘29) participated in two vocal competitions in Korea – the 67th National Student Music Competition, hosted by the Chungbuk Arts Council and organized by the Chungcheongbuk-do Chapter of the Korean Music Association, and second Musai Concours, hosted by M Management – where he was awarded first prize and a gold prize, respectively.

The OCSA Robotics Team opened the 2025-2026 season by winning the Stauffer Challenge Tournament. After going undefeated through the qualifying rounds, the team earned the number one seed. They proceeded to win every round in the playoffs to win the tournament and the Excellence Award. This guaranteed the team a spot at the California State Championship in March. Listed below are the members of the tournament team.

Shining Chen (CW, ’26)
Daniel Chung (IM, ‘29)
Paul Seo (DM, ’26)
Teresa Zhu (CV, ‘29)

Ryan Reithmeier, Classical Voice Conservatory Director, sang the baritone solos for Bach Cantata 192 at the St. John's Cantata Vespers in November 2025 at St. John's Orange. Dr. Reithmeier had his application accepted by Opera America for the Classical Voice Conservatory to join as an Educational Presenting Partner, which sets them alongside LACHSA as the only two high school programs in their membership so far. With this distinction, OCSA and community members are able to access the National Opera Center in New York City and take advantage of a suite of resources geared toward aspiring opera singers and those that help to deepen the community around opera.

Tiffany Carr (CV, ‘26) placed first in the Schmidt Vocal Competition SoCal Regionals. Tiffany was invited to go to Sarasota, Florida for the National Competition in May 2026.

Iva Liu (CV, ‘27) was named as one of 12 students across the country to represent the USA National Debate Team. Iva competed in multiple international championships since her team selection in August 2025.

OCSA Classical Voice Conservatory students earned honors in their respective divisions at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Los Angeles Chapter Student Evaluation Program (SEP) Auditions. See below for the students’ names, divisions, recital songs, and results.

First Place
Amber Bach (CV, ‘26) - MT 3B-2, “I Don’t Know What I’d Do”
Henry Courtney (CV, ‘26) - CL 4B, “Un bacio di mano”
Reese Guenther-Clark (CV, ‘27) - MT 3B-1, “On the Steps of the Palace”
Lubaina Habib (CV, ‘28) - CL 3A-1, “As When the Dove”
Jamie Ma (CV, ‘29) - CL 4A, “Nel cor piu non mi sento”
Alina Claire Park (CV, ‘30) - CL 2B, “Per la gloria”
Olivia Song (CV, ‘28) - CL 3A-2, “S’altro che lagrime”
Leila Woodward (CV, ‘27) - CL 3B-1, “Mein Herr Marquis”

Second Place
Asmi Aggarwal (CV, ‘27) - CL 3B-1, “Mein Herr Marquis”
Carter Meza (CV, ‘31) - MT 2A-2, “Red Ryder Carbine Action BB Gun”
Leah Navarro (CV, ‘26) - CL 3B-2, “In uomini”
Leila Woodward (CV, ‘27) - MT 3B-1, “On the Steps of the Palace”

Leah Navarro (CV, ‘26) was a top nine finalist in the Schmidt Vocal Competition of Southern California. The Schmidt Vocal Competitions have been consistently hosting competitions for college and high school students for two decades.

OCSA Classical Voice Conservatory students earned honors in their respective divisions at the National Association of Teachers of Singing Los Angeles Chapter Student Evaluation Program (SEP) Auditions. See below for the students’ names, divisions, recital songs, and results.

Third Place
Asmi Aggarwal (CV, ‘27) - MT 3B-1, “On the Steps of the Palace”
Amber Bach (CV, ‘26) - CL 3B-2, “In uomini”
Cadence Bleakley (CV, ‘28) - CL 3A-2, “S’altro che lagrime”
William Eulen (CV, ‘26) - CL 4B, “Un bacio di mano”
Matilda Haselhuhn (CV, ‘30) - CL 2B, “Per la gloria”; MT 2B, “When He Sees Me”
Chelsea Yang (CV, ‘29) - CL 3A 1, “As When the Dove”

Honorable Mention
Juliette Eitel (CV, ‘27) - MT 3B-1, “On the Steps of the Palace”
Keanu Ho (CV, ‘29) - CL 4A, “Nel cor piu non mi sento”
Reese Guenther-Clark (CV, ‘27) - CL 3B-1, “Meinn Herr Marquis”
Willow Wu (CV, ‘27) - CL 3A-2, “S’altro che lagrime”
Kaylie Yoo (CV, ‘28) - CL 3A-2, “S’altro che lagrime”
Julia Zhou (CV, ‘28) - CL 3A-2, “S’altro che lagrime”