STATE OF THE ART

Eli Raskin (MT, ‘12) was selected to be a Sundance 2022 Producing Fellow. Eli was also featured in an article by The Wrap about the artists selected for the Sundance Producing Lab and Summit. To read the full article, please visit: https://bit.ly/3Vt5rbk

Jared Machado (MT, ‘17) was cast as the lead role of Johnny in “American Idiot” at the Chance Theater and was also featured in an article in the Orange County Register. To read the article, please visit: https://bit.ly/3UrjVqT

Erin Tardibuono (MT, ‘25) and Nava Tate (MT, ‘27) were cast and performed as the Coroner of Munchkin City and the Mayor of Munchkin City respectively in a production of “The Wizard of Oz,” presented by the Tustin Area Council for Fine Arts, in cooperation with Lythgoe Family Productions.

The following students and alumni received Musical Theatre West Footlighters Scholarships for 2022. To read more about this scholarship, please visit: https://bit.ly/3VtBesI

Naomi Groleau (MT, ‘22)
Haven Hanson (PD, ‘23)
Jordan Spena (MT, ‘22)
Landon Wouters (MT, ‘22)

Sophia Ruiz (MT, ‘23) was featured on the front cover of “Parenting OC” for her upcoming performance in the Discovery Cube’s STEAM-themed musical, “Winter Lights: A Journey Home.”

Erin Tardibuono (MT, ‘25) played the young Mary Todd in the new Broadway-bound musical, “The Lincolns of Springfield,” directed by Tony Award-winner Corey Brunish, which premiered at the Center Stage Theater in Santa Barbara this past October.

Broderick (Brody) Yun (MT, ‘28) was cast in the role of Nico in the hit series “Cocomelon” on Netflix and YouTube.

The Orange County Register announced the winners, finalists, semifinalists, and nominees for the 10th Annual Artist of the Year Awards. OCSA had two winners out of seven arts categories this year, as well as many finalists, semifinalists, and nominees! The Artist of the Year program honors talented students across the county for their accomplishments in the arts.

Semifinalists:

Dance

Commercial Dance
Michelle Cheng (CMD, ‘23)
Jonah Smith (CMD, ‘23)

Concert Dance
Courtney Chiu (BCD, ‘23)

Hip-Hop
Faith Aguilar (CMD, ‘23)
Edward Chen (IA, ‘24)

World/Cultural Dance
Mia Amaris Lopez (BF, ‘23)


Film and Television

Cinematography
Zen Sing Thai (FTV, ‘23)

Film Directing
Jordan Held (FTV, ‘23)

Promo/Commercial Making
Evan Padilla (FTV, ‘23)


Fine Arts

Drawing
Chelsea Lee (VA, ‘24)

Mixed Media
Alison Amber Lee (VA, ‘23)

Painting
London San Luis (DM, ‘23)
Cheungwan (Amy) Wang (VA, ‘23)
Melody Wu (VA, ‘24)


Instrumental Music

Jazz
Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) - Piano

Piano
Lucie Kim (IM, ‘24) - Piano

Winds and Percussion
Heather Kim (IM, ‘24) - Flute
Damian Paul (IM, ‘24) - Percussion


Media Arts

Digital Illustration
Ava Diaz (DM, ‘24)
Fatima Mai (VA, ‘24)

Game Art
Ethan Situ Leung (DM, ‘23)
Vicky H. Nguyen (DM, ‘23)

Motion Graphics and Animation
David Du (FTV, ‘24)


Theater

Acting
Ava DeVoe (ACT, ‘24)
Elora Sparnicht (CW, ‘23)

Vocal Music

Classical Voice
Mia Baron (CV, ‘23)
Lilliana Mindel (CV, ‘24)
Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘23)

Cultural and Commercial Voice
Ella Gibson (PM, ‘23)

Musical Theater Voice
Sophia Ruiz (MT, ‘23)

The Orange County Register announced the winners, finalists, semifinalists, and nominees for the 10th Annual Artist of the Year Awards. OCSA had two winners out of seven arts categories this year, as well as many finalists, semifinalists, and nominees! The Artist of the Year program honors talented students across the county for their accomplishments in the arts.

Nominees:

Dance

Commercial Dance
Michelle Cheng (CMD, ‘23)
Jonah Smith (CMD, ‘23)

Concert Dance
Courtney Chiu (BCD, ‘23)
Aarilyn Lee (CMD, ‘23)
Daniella Morales (BCD, ‘24)
Alisa Nguyen (BCD, ‘23)

Hip-Hop
Faith Aguilar (CMD, ‘23)
Edward Chen (IA, ‘24)

World/Cultural Dance
Saira Galilea Arias (BF, ‘23)
Hannah Ayala (BR, ‘23)
Jude Caguioa Camaya (BR, ‘23)
Constantin Chekardzhikov (BR, ‘23)
Mia Amaris Lopez (BF, ‘23)
Aurelia Philmore (BR, ‘24)


Film and Television

Cinematography
Owen Thomas Blum (FTV, ‘23)
Zen Sing Thai (FTV, ‘23)

Film Directing
Dominic Gonzalez (FTV, ‘23)
Jordan Held (FTV, ‘23)

Promo/Commercial Making
Evan Padilla (FTV, ‘23)


Fine Arts

Drawing
Nina Alvarez (VA, ‘23)
Chelsea Lee (VA, ‘24)
Chili Sloop (VA, ‘24)

Mixed Media
Chloe Kim (VA, ‘23)
Alison Amber Lee (VA, ‘23)

Painting
Luke Furca (VA, ‘24)
London San Luis (DM, ‘23)
Cheungwan (Amy) Wang (VA, ‘23)
Melody Wu (VA, ‘24)


Instrumental Music

Jazz
Megan Etzel (IM, ‘23) - Piano
Trent Horio (IM, ‘23) - Tenor saxophone
Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) - Piano

Piano
Emilia Djordjevic (IM, ‘23) - Piano
Lucie Kim (IM, ‘24) - Piano

Winds and Percussion
Heather Kim (IM, ‘24) - Flute
Aidan Luu (IM, ‘23) - Alto Saxophone
Daniel Park O’Grady (IM, ‘24) - Clarinet
Damian Paul (IM, ‘24) - Percussion
Leo Sui (IM, ‘23) - Trombone

World/Cultural and Commercial Music
Savannah Tweedt (PM, ‘24) - Drum Set and Percussion


Media Arts

Digital Illustration
Ava Diaz (DM, ‘24)
Cindy (Tenna) Kuang (VA, ‘24)
Fatima Mai (VA, ‘24)
Olivia Sarno (DM, ‘23)
Mingxuan Wang (VA, ‘23)

Game Art
Rachel Kondo (DM, ‘24)
Ethan Situ Leung (DM, ‘23)
Vicky H. Nguyen (DM, ‘23)

Motion Graphics and Animation
David Du (FTV, ‘24)

Photography
Candace Ramirez (VA, ‘23)


Theater

Acting
Ava DeVoe (ACT, ‘24)
Elora Sparnicht (CW, ‘23)
Ethan Swartz (ACT, ‘23)

Musical Theater Performance
Alexa Núñez Magaña (MT, ‘23)
Sophie Russ (MT, ‘24)


Vocal Music

Classical Voice
Mia Baron (CV, ‘23)
Grace Huynh (CV, ‘23)
Lilliana Mindel (CV, ‘24)
Sebastian Nunez (CV, ‘24)
Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘23)

Cultural and Commercial Voice
Ella Gibson (PM, ‘23)

Musical Theater Voice
Chloe Deutschman (MT, ‘24)
Clare Adelaide Murphy (IA, ‘23)
Sophia Ruiz (MT, ‘23)

The following students of OCSA’s Middle School Science Olympiad Team competed against 20 other middle school teams at the Orange County Regional Tournament and earned an overall third place as a team. Twenty students placed in the top six and received medals for their categories. The team also advanced to the state championships and placed third overall, with students medaling in the top six of 17 categories.

Sailee Charlu (VA, ‘27)
Lila Olson (IA, ‘26)
Juneau Foxlin (IMS, ‘26)
Iva (Jiaying) Liu (CV, ‘27)
Samantha Wu (MT, ‘27)
Jeremy Lee (IM, ‘28)
Armaan Diwan (IM, ‘27)
Skyler Tran (IMP, ‘28)
Sterling Tran (IMP, ‘27)
Jackson Tran (IA, ‘27)
Lauren Young (PD, ‘26)
Henry Courtney (CV, ‘26)
Olivia Song (CV, ‘28)
Seojin Park (IMP, ‘28)
Sophie Paulsen (MT, ‘27)

Congratulations to OCSA’s Mock Trial Team, faculty advisor Whitney Coates, assistant coach Courtney Harper, and attorney coaches Justice Halim Dhanidina, Melissa Brandman, J.D, and Ethan Feng, J.D. for advancing to state finals and receiving fourth place in California after competing against rigorous competition. In addition to this group effort, Sabrina Aguilar (DM, ‘23) received first place in the state for “Courtroom Art” and Emy Pardo (MT, ‘24) also received “Outstanding Cleo Shafer” for her excellent portrayal of that witness. Leadership Teacher and Mock Trial Advisor Whitney Coates was named Teacher Coach of the Year for OC Mock Trial.

Sofya Levitsky-Weitz (MT, ‘08) received a Writer’s Guild Award for Best Comedy series for her work on “The Bear”, which is now streaming on Hulu.

Bobby Amamizu (CMD, ‘06) and RJ Higton (MT, ‘18) were cast and performed in an episode of television series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” on Amazon Prime.

Isabella Abiera (ACT, ‘28), Johnisa Almariya Breault (MT, ‘18), Arielle Dettmer (CMD, ‘20), and Adrienne Amanda Morrow (MT, ‘25) performed in McCoy/Rigby Entertainment's Production of "The King and I," at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Pedro Pascal (MT, ‘93) was featured in the May 2023 issue of “Vanity Fair.”

Stephanie J. Block (MT, ‘90) will be performing in the Broadway @ The Wallis concert series with Seth Rudetsky that will be held in October 2023 at the Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts.

Dylin Rodrigo (MT, ‘28) made his Broadway debut as Young Simba in “Disney's The Lion King.” The iconic show is celebrating its 25th year on Broadway.

Ava Villacorta (MT, ‘27) performed as part of the children’s chorus in a run of Puccini’s “Tosca” with the LA Opera in the winter of 2022.

Pedro Pascal (MT, ‘93) was featured in People Magazine’s “100 Reasons to Love America in 2023” as number 47 for “owning his moment.” The article focused on a mix of summer fun, natural beauty, inspiring moments, and opportunities for celebration. Pedro was also nominated for the following three 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his role in “The Last of Us,” Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for hosting “Saturday Night Live,” and Outstanding Narrator for “Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World.”

The following students represented OCSA at the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar at the University of San Diego. This event is a three-day leadership development program that empowers attendees to make positive changes in their communities.

Skylar Christensen (MT, ‘25)
Natalie Hoffman (CW, ‘25)
Ella West Jerrier (FTV, ‘25)
Sky Keyoung (CV, ‘25)
Caitlin Kim (ACT, ‘25)
Isabella Kim (ACT, ‘25)
Abriella Nicolalde (MT, ‘25)

Nicole Morris (MT, ‘16) was featured on Spectrum News 1 for her involvement as an ensemble cast member in the “Les Misérables” Southern California tour, which performed at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts this past year. In her interview, she spoke about her early love for the theatre, friendships she has made on tour, and her other stage experiences. To watch/read more, please visit: https://bit.ly/47Msns6

Acting instructor and past director of OCSA Thespians Donald Amerson and Acting instructor and current director of OCSA Thespians Vanessa Cortez, along with Tessa Espinola (ACT, ‘25), Mia Geise (MT, ‘24), Atalia Lewis (MT, ‘24), Maggie Moland (ACT, ‘24), attended the International Thespian Festival (ITF) at the University of Indiana in Bloomington. ITF is a week-long showcase where young thespians can take workshops and show off their skills. At the festival, Atalia won an award for Solo Musical and Maggie won an award for Solo Acting.

Alisa Melendez (MT, ‘16) was cast as the lead of Sophie in the “Mamma Mia!” San Diego Tour. She was also featured in San Diego Magazine in an article that highlights her journey as a stage performer and her passion for her hometown of San Diego. To read the San Diego Magazine article, please visit: https://bit.ly/3TdKPFz

Miley Jane Gavarrete (MT, ‘26) was cast in the Broadway On Tour Youth Theater’s production of “Les Misérables” in July 2023 at the Ebell Theater of Santa Ana.

Alexa Wildish (MT, ‘06) performed on season 24 of “The Voice” and all the coaches turned toward her as she sang a rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird.” Alexa was chosen to be on Niall Horan’s team and made it to the Playoff episode.

Juliet Garbacz (MT) moved to London, England to attend The Upper School at the Royal Ballet. This school, accredited by the University of Roehampton, allows students ages 16-19 to train in classical ballet and eventually earn a BA in Classical Ballet and Dance Performance. Around 100 students representing 17 different countries attend each school year.

The following students performed in the children’s choir that was featured in the musical “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” presented by McCoy Rigby Entertainment at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts.

Cameron Avery (ACT, ‘27)
Jasmine Melwani (IA, ‘25)
Adrienne Morrow (MT, ‘25)
Angelina Pendleton-Mendez (PM, ‘27)
Sydney Sublette (CV, ‘26)
Erin Tardibuono (MT, ‘25)
Ava Villacorta (MT, ‘27)
Emma Woodward (CV, ‘27)

Adrienne Morrow (MT, ‘25) was cast as Louisa in “The Sound of Music” at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach, presented by Musical Theatre West.

Noelani Pese (MT, ‘26) was named Miss California Jr. Teen 2023-2024 and was the first person of Samoan heritage crowned in the pageant’s history.

Logan Bailey (MT, ‘29) voiced the role of Pandy Paws in Dreamworks’ animated series “Gabby’s Dollhouse.” Logan became the new voice of the character starting in season 8 of the Netflix series.

The following students earned recognition awards for their participation in the 2023 Student Evaluation Program (SEP) hosted by the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) - Los Angeles. At the SEP Extravaganza Recital in January, First Place winners in their respective divisions each performed one song of a judge’s choice.

Classical 2A (Youth); Song for Recital: “Chi vuol la zingarella”
Lubaina Habib (CV, ‘28) - Honorable Mention
Beatrice Main (MT, ‘29) - 3rd Place
Julia Zhou (CV, ‘28) - Honorable Mention

Musical Theatre 2B (Youth); Song for Recital: “The Secret of Happiness”
Cadence Bleakley (CV, ‘28) - 3rd Place

Classical 3A-1 (Lower HS - High Voices); Song for Recital: “Italian Street Song”
Reese Guenther-Clark (CV, ‘27) - 1st Place
Leila Woodward (CV, ‘27) - 2nd Place

Commercial B (14 Years & Older); Song for Recital: “Easy On Me”
Angelina Pendleton-Mendez (PM, ‘27) - 1st Place

Classical 4B (Upper HS - Low Voices); Song for Recital: “Ah! quanto è vero”
Sebastian Nunez (CV, ‘24) - Honorable Mention
Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24) - 3rd Place

Classical 2B (Youth); Song for Recital: “Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube”
Cadence Bleakley (CV, ‘28) - Honorable Mention
Simran Goyal (CV, ‘28) - Honorable Mention
Liam Posos (CV, ‘28) - Honorable Mention

Musical Theatre 2A (Youth); Song for Recital: “Shy”
Beatrice Main (MT, ‘29) - Honorable Mention

Classical 4A (Lower HS - Low Voices); Song for Recital: “O del mio dolce ardor”
Henry Courtney (CV, ‘26) - 3rd Place
Charlton Tsai (CW, ‘24) - 2nd Place
Jack Wilson (CV, ‘25) - Honorable Mention
William Yu (CV, ‘26) - Honorable Mention

Bea Main (MT, ‘29) was cast in South Coast Repertory’s “A Christmas Carol” as Tiny Tim Cratchit. Performances took place in December 2023.

Logan Bailey (MT, ‘29) and Ian Massimino (MT, ‘29) earned First Place at the Musical Theatre Competition of America 2024 in Anaheim for their vocal duet “You and Me (But Mostly Me)” from “The Book of Mormon.”

Logan Bailey (MT, ‘29) was cast as the voice for Arnold, based on Nickelodeon’s “Hey Arnold!” cartoon, in a Paramount+ Superbowl commercial. Logan was also cast as the voice of Pandy Paws in season nine of Dreamworks’ animated series “Gabby’s Dollhouse” on Netflix. The songs he sang in the series can be found on Spotify on the “Gabby’s Dollhouse” page. Logan’s voicework for Pandy Paws is also featured in the Neon Wild interactive stories available in the App Store.

Grant Conroy (CV, ‘25) and Quinn Conroy (MT, ‘27) created an organization called “Diabetes High” to promote awareness of Type 1 Diabetes among middle and high school students. They worked with numerous school districts to get #SeeTheSigns posters in 127 school health offices. The #SeeTheSigns posters point out early warning signs for Type 1 Diabetes and have the potential to reach hundreds of school nurses and over 135,000 students. Grant and Quinn also arranged for the posters to be translated into Mandarin, Vietnamese, Korean and Portuguese to reach a broader audience in the diverse school system and the global audience of the organization BeyondType1. Through "Diabetes High," they started the OCSA Diabetes Awareness Club and have set up an online portal for students from around the country to start their own diabetes awareness clubs at their schools. The OCSA club participates in the Support Breakthrough T1D Walk and has raised over $9,000 for diabetes research and programs.

Sasha Tolkachev (MT, ‘27) starred as Agatha Trunchbull in “Matilda Jr.” at Tustin’s Top Hat 8 Reparatory (TH8R). The all-teen cast, ages 12-18, performed multiple shows at TH8R.

The following OCSA students placed or received honorable mentions in their respective categories at the 2024 VO-CAL live competition at California State University, Long Beach.

Commercial Music - Ages 14-15; “Easy on Me”
Angelina Pendleton-Mendez (PM, ‘27) - First Place
Leyla Ton (PM, ‘28) - Second Place

Musical Theatre - Age 13; “Out There”
Keanu Ho (CV, ‘29) - Second Place
Kristin Mamangun (MT, ‘29) - Third Place
Enzo Passalacqua (MT, ‘28) - First Place

Musical Theatre - Ages 14-15 (Group 1); “Santa Fe”
Anya Mulay (MT, ‘28) - Second Place

Musical Theatre - Ages 14-15 (Group 2); “Screw Loose”
Asmi Aggarwal (CV, ‘27) - Honorable Mention
Reese Guenther-Clark (CV, ‘27) - Second Place
Angelina Pendleton-Mendez (PM, ‘27) - Third Place

Musical Theatre - Ages 14-15 (Group 3); “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables”
Amber Bach (CV, ‘26) - Third Place
Juliette Eitel (CV, ‘27) - Second Place

Musical Theatre - Ages 16-18 (Group 2); “I Don’t Need a Roof”
Madison Becerra (CV, ‘25) - Third Place
Sydney Sublette (CV, ‘26) - Honorable Mention

Musical Theatre - Ages 16-18 (Group 3); “Be a Lion”
Tessa Espinola (ACT, ‘25) - Second Place
Eliza Tait (CV, ‘25) - Honorable Mention

Bella Lloyd (MT, ‘25) was selected as one of eight State Thespian Officers (STO) for California. STO is one of the highest honors for a California Thespian student. She not only represents OCSA’s Thespian Troupe 6826, she also represents the state of California as a student board member.

OCSA’s Junior Thespian Troupe 6826 attended the California State Thespian Festival in Upland, where they participated in workshops, staged readings, group numbers, and the Thespy awards. The following students received awards, along with multiple superior ratings and scholarships.

Malia Chisick (MT, ‘25) - Second Place, Musical Theatre Duet
Samantha Divis (MT, ‘25) - Second Place, Musical Theatre Duet
Daniel Grossgold (IA, ‘24) - First Place, Musical Theatre Duet
Bella Lloyd (MT, ‘25) - First Place, Musical Theatre Duet
Chloe Ness (CV, ‘24) - Judge’s Choice, Musical Theatre Solo
Kaya Sparnicht (ACT, ‘25) - First Place, Playwriting

Miley Jane Gavarrete (MT, ‘26) was cast as Midge Mahoney at the Yorba Linda Spotlight Theater Company’s production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” The comedy-musical focuses on six adolescents navigating the pressures of both the titular competition and their teenage years.

Ava Villacorta (MT, ‘27) performed in the LA Opera’s run of Giacomo Puccini’s “Turandot” at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Downtown Los Angeles. Puccini’s Turandot contains imagined, outdated, and inaccurate representations of Asian culture; however, LA Opera worked in consultation with the Asian Opera Alliance, who offered input on how to present the work with greater consciousness, care, and context, while maintaining fidelity to the original opera.

The following OCSA students, representing 13 conservatories, raised over $30,000 for Maui Wildfire victims by volunteering and sharing their talents at the Music for Maui Benefit Concert and Pop-up Events.

Ella Mortensen (CV, ‘25)
Leah Navarro (CV, ‘26)
Elysse Nguyen (MT, ‘26)
Saya Nishimura (IM, ‘26)
Kai Orozco (JS, ‘26)
Alec Ortega-Fosado (CV, ‘25)
Caroline Risk (VA, ‘26)
Xavier Saenze (PM, ‘29)
Zaid Salazar (CV, ‘26)
Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘24)
Haley Scott (CW, ‘26)
Nikki Smith (CV, ‘25)
Teresa Smith (MT ‘26)
Adam Strychaz (CAH, ‘26)
Heather Torres-Cancino (BR, ‘26)
Alessandra Venegas (CAH, ‘26)
Sophia Vernon (MT, ‘26)
Lavinia Watkins (CV, ‘26)
Aniya Wilkins (ACT, ‘26)
James Williams (BR, ‘26)
Jack Wilson (CV, ‘25)
Paxton Wong (CV, ‘25)
Cynthia Zhang (BR, ‘27)

Katie Cruz (MT, ‘23) was offered her first professional contract from La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts for their production of “The Little Mermaid.” Katie performed as Arista in the ensemble cast.

The following OCSA students were recipients of the 2024 Dragon Kim Foundation Fellowship. The Dragon Kim Fellowship program includes six months of training, mentorship, and hands-on leadership to help students launch community-changing project ideas from start to finish. Some OCSA students worked together for their projects, while some worked alongside students from other schools. See below for the project names and their OCSA fellows.

Community Canvas
Luke Shin (VA, ‘25)
Olivia Yun (VA, ‘25)

Heart-to-Art
Vedant Dayal (CW, ‘25)
Ashima Sharma (CW, ‘25)

Little Steps
Samantha Bailey (VA, ‘26)
Maiya Leung (DM, ‘26)
Emily Yi (VA, ‘26)

Malama
Ava Villacorta (MT, ‘27)

Meal Mentors
Elizabeth Bancroft (BR, ‘26)
Stella Mulholland (CAH, ‘26)
Talia Rosenblatt (AE, ‘26)

The Joy of Dance
Aaron Chang (CMD, ‘26)
Devin Vo (IA, ‘25)

The following OCSA students, representing 13 conservatories, raised over $30,000 for Maui Wildfire victims by volunteering and sharing their talents at the Music for Maui Benefit Concert and Pop-up Events.

Katie Baker (IM, ‘25)
Carleigh Beckner (CV, ‘26)
Hank Braverman (PM, ‘26)
Olivia Bullock (CV, ‘26)
Natalia Campos (ACT, ‘27)
Natalia Caraveo (CV ‘25)
Tiffany Carr (CV, ‘26)
Cosi Chekardzhikov (BR, ‘25)
Trent Chickering (PM, ‘26)
Grant Conroy (CV, ‘25)
Ashwin Desai (PM, ‘26)
Kira Efimenko (DM, ‘26)
Hayden Ficht (PD, ‘25)
Caitlin Francisco (PM, ‘25)
Gianna Gourley (MT, ‘27)
Reese Guenther-Clark (CV, ‘27)
Evani Gulati (MT, ‘26)
Julian Gwin (MT, ‘26)
Claire Harmsen (PM, ‘26)
Hanna Heger (CW, ‘26)
Matthew Henderson (CV, ‘25)
Zane Hermann (PM, ‘25)
Lucy Hunter (FTV, ‘26)
Sky Keyoung (CV, ‘25)
Alyssa Kim (MT, ‘26)
Avni Krishnamoorthy (PM, ‘26)
Emma Ladisky (MT, ‘26)
Ayn Liu (CAH, ‘26)
David Liu (CAH, ‘25)
Liam Majerus (BR, ‘27)
Sydney Malone (CV, ‘26)
Rylee Miyoshi (BR, ‘28)
Paige Morgan (CV, ‘25)

RJ Higton (MT, ‘18) performed at the 77th Annual Tony Awards as Chet, his role in the Broadway musical, “The Outsiders.” The musical won four out of twelve nominations at the Tonys, including Best Musical.

Isabella Both (MT, ‘25) and Lexie Shehab (PM, ‘27) received scholarship awards at the Berklee School of Music Vocal Summit in Boston, Massachusetts. The Vocal Summit is a five-day program with instruction in vocal technique, style, performance skills, singing with a band, group singing, and a cappella performance. Isabella performed in the Rock genre and Lexie performed in Jazz. Out of over 200 students attending the summit, only five scholarships were awarded.

Beatrice Main (MT, ‘29) was cast as JoJo in South Coast Repertory’s production of “Seussical” for their 2023-2024 performance season.

Isabella Both (MT, ‘25) won Third Place at the South Coast Singers’ 2024 Stars of Tomorrow Scholarship Competition. This program provides an opportunity for young Orange County high school vocalists to compete for scholarship money intended to assist them in pursuing their career goals.

Amelia Emde (MT, ‘27) was cast in a commercial for C Spire, a wireless carrier company. Watch Amelia in the commercial here: https://bit.ly/3OSJ0KZ

Nava Tate (MT, ‘27) made her debut with the Long Beach Symphony, led by music director Eckart Preu, during the RuMBa Foundation Family Concert: Magical Musical Kingdom in October at the Long Beach Terrace Theater. Nava was selected by Maestro Preu to perform as a soloist with over 50 professional world-class musicians. Watch a portion of her performance here: https://bit.ly/41AbgcP

Miley Jane Gavarrete (MT, ‘26) was cast as Frieda in the Chino Community Children’s Theatre production of “Carrie: The Musical.” The stage version of the horror classic ran from late October to early November 2024 at the Seventh Street Community Theater.

Noelani Pese (MT, ‘26) was named National American Miss Junior Teen for 2023-2024. Noelani was previously Miss California Junior Teen 2023-2024.

Logan Bailey (MT, ‘29) continued his role as Pandy Paws in the 10th season of Dreamworks’ “Gabby’s Dollhouse,” which can be viewed on Netflix. Logan was also featured in three songs, “Bad Day,” “Better Together,” and “Christmas Together,” from “Gabby’s Dollhouse.” In addition, he was featured in an episode of the “Bedtime Stories – MerCat’s Mermaid Sleepover” podcast.

The following students were recognized as 2025 YoungArts Winners by the National YoungArts Foundation for their artistic achievements. YoungArts Award Winners receive a monetary award of $250, and Winners with Distinction are invited to participate in National YoungArts Week and have their work further evaluated for cash awards of up to $10,000. Attendees of National YoungArts Week who meet the eligibility requirements are also considered for nomination to the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program.

Classical
Ariana Kim (IM, ‘26) - Bassoon (Winner with Distinction)
Jaden Kim (IM, ‘25) - Violin
Jiyu Lee (IM, ‘26) - Violin

Dance
Carissa Hsu (BCD, ‘26) - Modern/Contemporary (Winner with Distinction)
Jasmine Lee (CMD, ‘26) - Hip-Hop (Winner with Distinction)
Arianna Ramirez (BF, ‘26) - World Dance: Mexican Folkloric
Jadon Vo (CMD, ‘25) - Hip-Hop
Preston Walker (BCD) - Ballet

Design
Chaeyeon Kim (VA, ‘27)
Jennifer Kim (VA, ‘25) - Winner with Distinction

Film
Victoria Pham (DM, ‘25) - Winner with Distinction
Alisha Zhao (DM, ‘25)

Jazz
Samuel Chung (IM, ‘25) - Saxophone/Tenor
Nicholas Doan (IM, ‘24) - Double Bass
Allie Molin (IM, ‘25) - Trumpet

Voice
Isabella Both (MT, ‘25) - Popular
Summer Brennan (PM, ‘25) - Popular (Winner with Distinction)
Isabella Le (PM, ‘26) - Singer-Songwriter
Joules Recana (PM, ‘25) - Popular
Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘24) - Classical

Writing
Olivia Le (CW, ‘25) - Spoken Word (Winner with Distinction)
Lana Lee (IA, ‘26) - Spoken Word
Chloe Woo (IM, ‘27) - Nonfiction
Chloe Yang (CW, ‘27) - Nonfiction (Winner with Distinction)

Dylin Rodrigo (MT, ‘28) helped emcee for Pacific Symphony’s Halloween Fandemonium, a family musical morning concert. Dylin shared the Segerstrom Concert Hall stage with conductor Dr. Jake Sustaita, puppeteer Victor Yerrid, Leopold the Musical Leopard, and the Pacific Symphony Orchestra to help bring iconic fandom music to life in a fun and educational way.

Ava Villacorta (MT, ‘27) and her group Mālama were selected as one of the Dragon Kim Challenge Finalists for 2024. Ava, alongside team members who attend different high schools, created Mālama to help combat elderly loneliness and depression and promote joy and community by hosting Polynesian arts performances in elderly care facilities.

Lana Lee (IA, ‘26) and Devin Weaver (ACT, ‘26) successfully wrapped up their third year of Find Your Light OC, their nonprofit musical theatre camp. With the help of their fellow OCSA students – Nathan Han (MT, ‘26), Anais Legras (IA, ’28), Jacqueline Nguyen (IA, ‘28), and Mackenzie Vallejo (IA, ‘26) – and their partners at the Boys and Girls Club of Tustin and the OC Rescue Mission, the camp welcomed 80 students this year. Find Your Light OC was founded by Lana and Mia Geiss (MT, ‘24) in 2022. The student-led organization focuses on bridging the socioeconomic gap in performing arts education by offering free, weeklong musical theatre camps to kids in underserved communities, while addressing mental health and building self-confidence. Their commitment to the performing arts and dedication to their community were recognized by Senator Tom Umberg.

Alyssa Carol (MT, ‘19) performed in the North American tour of “Back to the Future: The Musical.” Alyssa was cast as Babs in the ensemble cast and had the opportunity to play the lead, Lorraine, during the tour’s appearance at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis. The tour also stopped by two Southern California venues, Pantages Theatre and Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

Ana Gomez Garza (MT, ‘25) represented Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) at California Girls State – American Legion Auxiliary’s leadership program. This program builds awareness and knowledge of governmental processes while teaching about the duties, privileges, rights, and responsibilities of citizenship. Ana had the honor of portraying Chief Supreme Court Justice and was chosen to be one of two Senators to represent California at Girls Nation. The program sent Ana to Washington D.C., where she was able to watch a Senate Session on Capitol Hill and attend a private event that Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at.