STATE OF THE ART

The following students were recognized as semifinalists in The Music Center’s 33rd Annual Spotlight Program. Spotlight is a nationally acclaimed arts training and scholarship program for teens that awards more than $100,000 in cash scholarships annually. Semifinalists have the opportunity to attend a special master class in their discipline with highly regarded artists who share their expertise on performance technique, training, and professional life. Each semifinalist will virtually audition once more, and the top two finalist performers in each category will be selected for a total of 14 Grand Prize Finalists.

Classical Semifinalists:
Leo Sui (IM, ‘23)

Jazz Semifinalists:
Max Gilbert (IM, ‘22)
Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24)

Acting Semifinalists:
Grace Wilcox (ACT, ‘22)
Kaya Sparnicht (ACT, '25)
Landon Wouters (MT, ‘22)
Tessa Espinola (ACT, ‘25)

Luna Zamora (CV, ‘24) was cast in the guest starring role of Gabby on the Nickelodeon show Blaze and the Monster Machines.

The following students participated in the short film “Musical Theater Camp 3” produced by Braver Players Musical Theater Foundation.


Sadie Braverman (ACT, ‘23)
Colin Daniels (ACT, ‘22)
Mya Gonzales (ACT, ‘23)
Zach Hoffman (ACT, ‘22)
Jack Ireland (ACT, ‘25)
Chase Johnson (ACT, ‘26)
Caleb Malis (IA, ‘23)
Madeline Rosenberg (ACT, ‘26)
Leilani Steiner (ACT, ‘25)

Syona McEligot (MT, ‘25) performed in an Arts and Learning Conservatory production of Once on This Island, Jr. She played the role of the narrator and danced in a majority of the numbers.

Ella Jerrier (FTV, ‘25), as president of GirlBoss Films, recently wrote, produced, directed, and starred in her own film, "The Waiting Room." Her film was shown at the TCL Chinese Theatre and NoHo Cinefest in Hollywood and has also been selected for the Newport Beach Film Festival.

Zach Willis (MT, ‘25) was cast in the film "Dear Evan Hansen" and performed the song “You Will Be Found” as a member of the ensemble.

The following students and alumni, along with faculty members Briana and Kris Suakjian, were recognized for their accomplishments at the 2021 Embassy Ballroom Championships.

Jacqueline Artinian (BR, ‘22)
Gabriel Cho (BR, ‘24)
Presley Herthel (BR, ‘26)
Jack Hillebrecht (BR, ‘26)
Lucas McCollum-VanHoosear (BR, ‘22)
Aurelia Philmore (BR, ‘24)
Marina Pitt (BR, ‘26)
Isaac Reynoso (BR, ‘20)
Kaylee Tran (BR, ‘27)
Cynthia Zhang (BR, ‘27)

Joy Baik’s (VA, ‘19) illustration work was published in the book "In All of Your Days Have You Seen the Ways an Animal Plays an Instrument?" by Lisa Baker.

Keira Base (CV, ‘22) was named the Division 6 Young Marine of the Year. Representing eight states on the west coast, she was selected to travel to other units throughout the division to lead, motivate, and serve as a role model for other young marines.

Garrett Wirth (CV, ‘26) received an honorable mention in Classical Voice and Theater from the Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) San Diego Branch VOCE Competition.

Paige Oden, Director of the Visual Arts Conservatory, has been named the 2021 Woman of the Year by Congressman Lou Correa and the 46th California Congressional District. This award honors outstanding women who exemplify ethical leadership and a commitment to making a positive impact in the community.

The following students won first place in their categories in Mount Saint Mary’s University (MSMU) High School Music Competition.

Solo Piano
Helaine Zhao (IM, ‘24) - "Allegro de Concierto" by Enrique Granados

Performer Composer (Instrumental)
Diego Legras (PM, ‘23) - "Improvisation #1" by Diego Legras

Solo Voice
Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘24) - "Fair Robin I Love" by Kirke Mechem

Chamber Music
Christopher Cung (IM, ‘22) - "Trio in B Minor for Piano, Oboe and Clarinet, Movement I" by Edouard Destenay

Ariyah Brown (ACT, ‘21) received second place in the inaugural OC Youth Poet Laureate competition. The OC Poet Laureate program celebrates and honors local poets who exhibit a commitment to not just artistic excellence, but also to civic engagement, youth leadership, and social justice.

Matthew Garbacz (MT, ‘23) plays the role of John Deacon, bassist and backup singer, in The Kings of Queen, a professional Queen tribute band.

Aryan Simhadri (ACT, ‘24) booked the role of Walter in the new Broadway musical Trevor, scheduled to premiere on Stage 42 this fall.

Soren Almeida (FTV, ‘22) displayed and sold his photography as a student artist at Art-A-Fair in Laguna Beach. To read more about the student artist program, please click here: https://bit.ly/3a6Jhpe

Haven Aram Hanson (PD, ‘23) was cast in the lead role of Seymour in Yorba Linda Spotlight Theater's production of "Little Shop of Horrors." He also provided wig and makeup design, in addition to creating specialty props for the show.

Clara Choi (CMD, ‘25) was recognized as one of the top 30 finalists selected to compete in the Broadcom MASTERS competition. Broadcom MASTERS, the nation's premier STEM competition, seeks to inspire the young scientists, engineers, and innovators who will solve the complex challenges of the future. Clara will compete for over $100,000 in experiential awards and prizes.

Anirudh Kota (FTV, ‘22) was one of three winners of the Lockdown Script Writing Contest sponsored by Notre Dame High School and the Dr. Barbara Seniors Harkins Foundation.

Emilia Djordjevic (IM, ‘23) won first place in the Piano Open Category in the Satori Summer Music Festival.

The following students from OCSA’s Eye Matter club hosted a national online summer camp for visually impaired children, utilizing a $5,000 grant from the Anekant Community Foundation. Over the course of five weeks, they focused on creating a supportive community and fostering a sense of belonging, all while combating ableism within the arts. To view their program highlights video, please click here: https://bit.ly/3uGuevU

Ritika Asher (BCD, ‘23)
Alex Breschini (CV, ‘22)
Cece Fanelli (PD, ‘22) - Vice President
Stella Goodman (CV, ‘23)
Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22) - President
Delaney Manna (PD, ‘23)
Finley Sasena (BCD, ‘23)
Hailey Somphone (CV, ‘22)

Melody Chang (IM, ‘22) won the prestigious 2021 Dragon Challenge from the Dragon Kim Foundation for her project “Let’s Learn about Public Health!” Her project entailed writing a book for children in grades 3-6, in an effort to educate them about modern concepts of public health. She also ran a community summer camp to deliver her curriculum to 120 children. Through the Dragon Kim Foundation, she was awarded $5,000 to translate her book into other languages, develop a curriculum to teach her book in elementary schools, and advocate at the state level for her book and curriculum to be taught in more school districts. To read more about Melody’s project, please visit https://bit.ly/3uIEpQx

Sophia Kang (PD, ‘24) performed in the Arts & Learning Conservatory’s production of "Once on This Island Jr." in the lead role of Asaka, Mother of Earth. She also won first place at the 2021 Musical Arts Competition of Orange County in the Musical Theater category.

Chloe Ness (MT, ‘24) won first place in Contemporary Commercial Music and Classical categories at the 2021 VO-Cal Competition.

Logan Langevin (ACT, ‘23) was cast in Nickelodeon’s hit sitcom "Side Hustle."

Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) has been ranked by Niche as the #1 Best Charter High School in California for the third year in a row, as well as the #6 Best Charter High School in America for 2022! We would like to express our gratitude to all the students, teachers, and staff who continue to make OCSA an exceptional institution. To view all rankings for OCSA, please visit: https://bit.ly/3D8R02u

Sonali Dhanidina (IA, ‘25) was chosen to perform her spoken word piece “Silent Colors” at Breaking Bias, the annual spotlight event for NewGround, which empowers Jewish and Muslim change-makers with the skills, resources, and relationships needed to improve Muslim-Jewish relations and strengthen cooperation on issues of shared concern.

Caitlyn Mason's (CW, ‘23) original play, Fluent Love, placed in the top eight entries in the Kennedy Center's Annual VSA Playwright Discovery Award Competition. The awards highlight the experiences of students with disabilities.

Creative Writing Instructor Tira Palmquist's newest play, "King Margaret," had an online reading with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

Dahlia Sarmiento (CW, ‘24) was unanimously appointed to the City of Santa Ana Youth Commission by the Santa Ana City Council.

Ava Kuntz (CV, ‘21) won first place at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) National Competition in the Musical Theater Competition. Her award-winning performance was “Me and the Sky” from Come From Away by Sankoff & Hein.

U.S. News & World Report released its 2021 national rankings for Best Elementary and Middle Schools, and Orange County School of the Arts was named the No. 3 Best Charter Middle School in the State of California. For more information, please visit: https://bit.ly/3rnvyEv

Ava Gwendolyn Richards (CW, ‘25) published a book, titled "Training Wheels," now available on Amazon.

The following Film & Television Conservatory students and alumni were selected to screen their films at this year’s All-American High School Film Festival in New York City.

Ethan Chu (FTV, ‘21) – “By Your Side”, “Pho”
Ren Collantes (FTV, ‘21) – “Dreams of Ambivalence”
Maggie Ding (FTV, ‘22) – “Magdalena”
Noah Frech (FTV, ‘21) – “Run Away”
Ava Gaskins (FTV, ‘22) – “Ours to Yours”, “The Corpse in the Mirror”
Kenneth Ha (FTV, ‘25) – “A Quiet Game”
Nona Nishigawara (FTV, ‘22) – “Dobu”
Allee Stone (FTV, ‘20) – “Tess and Dodi”
Nolan Hieu Trifunovic (FTV, ‘21) – “The Other”, “Know Better”
Elinor Weber (FTV, ‘21) – “The Omega”

Wyatt Beckley (PM, ‘22) attended the Berklee College of Music’s Summer Aspire program and was selected as a guitarist in the All-Star Funk-Fusion Band.

Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23) and Shayna Kaplan (IM, ‘23) started a nonprofit organization, called Strike a Chord, to teach music to underserved children in Orange County. The organization aims to provide everyone with the opportunity to flourish through the power of music with performances and instrument donations.

Bianca Lozano (BF, ‘21), Fatima Oregon (BF), and Sammy Perez (BF, ‘21) were a part of a team that helped inspire children through Mexican folk dancing at Garden Grove Methodist Church. They taught folklórico to more than 50 kids through their program, titled Sembrando Dahlias, which was made possible by funding from the Dragon Kim Foundation. To read more about their story, please visit: https://bit.ly/3uPS8Fl

Hazel Vuu (IM, ‘23) and Rachael Vu (IM, ‘24) received first place in the 2021 Golden Classical Music Awards International Competition. They were invited to perform their winning piece, "Variations on a Theme by Paganini" for two pianos by Witold Lutoslawski, at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in New York City.

Estella Sky Keyoung (CV, ‘25) was accepted into the Study of Exceptional Talent (SET) program at Johns Hopkins University. This selective program identifies and provides special services to gifted youth.

Reese Gonzales (ACT, ‘19) was cast as Dante Quintana in the film adaptation of "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe." To read more about the film, please visit: https://bit.ly/3mlcrYH

Congratulations to the following students for their success in the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. These students received Honorable Mention Regional-at-Large awards.

Anika Biswas (CW, ‘23) Short Story, "Einkornicales: Lost Letters"
Kaitlyn Byer (CW, ‘25): Poetry, "The Crow's Lover"
Jaeung Cha (VA, ‘25): Fashion, “Design by Quinn”, “Dual Identity”
Ruth Chen (CW, ‘25): Critical Essay, “The Ethical Dilemma of True Crime as Entertainment”; Drawing & Illustration, "Hope"; Flash Fiction, "Murder"; Poetry, "Wide World"; Short Story, "Lost and Gone"
Ryan Choi (ACT, ‘24): Drawing & Illustration, “Toyna Character Concept Design”; Sculpture, “Mythical Creature Game Pieces for Creativity Board Game”
David Du (FTV, ‘24): Film & Animation, "Incent City"
Isabella Ho (CW, ‘22): Flash Fiction, "Little Lanterns"; Humor, "A Pretzel Hazard"
Faith Hochgesang (IA, ‘23): Flash Fiction, "Cries of the Maasai"; Poetry, "Rapture"
Ashley Hodge (IA, ‘24): Personal Essay & Memoir, "Pots Burn, Seams Burst"
Lyn Huang (CW, ‘24): Novel Writing, "Someday In A Room With A Seaside View"
Sally Jang (CW, ‘23): Dramatic Script, "Dear Lauren"
Ryan Jeong (P&D, ‘23): Journalism, "Scholastic Competition: Conservatives vs. Media: A Thinning Ice"
Antara Kalle (CW, ‘23): Poetry, "Balcony Boats"
Griffin Kelleher (CW, ‘23): Science Fiction & Fantasy, "The Auxer"
Amber Khauv (CW, ‘24): Science Fiction & Fantasy, "Don't Lie to Me"
Annabelle Kim (CW, ‘24): Personal Essay & Memoir, "Familiarity in the Unknown, Is it truly fortunate?"; Poetry, "Words passed from her to me"
Emily Kim (CW, ‘24): Personal Essay & Memoir, "A Daily Reminder"
Seo Yun Kang (VA, ‘23): Painting, “Part of Me”
Chaewon Kim (CW, ‘23): Drawing & Illustration, “You’re getting old”
Kate Kim (CW, ‘25): Poetry, "A Plate of Gochu"

The OCSA Science Olympiad High School Team (Division C) competed in the BirdSO Mini Science Olympiad competition and placed 8th out of 160 teams. They also competed in the National Invitational Science Olympiad Satellite competition where they placed 21st out of 236 teams. The students received the following awards:


BirdSO Mini Science Olympiad Competition:

5th place:
Codebusters: Grant Conroy (CV, ‘25), Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22), and Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23)

8th place:
Write it CAD it: Katherine Given (ACT, ‘24) and Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22)
Fermi Questions: Tane Kim (IM, ‘24) and Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24)

9th place:
Detector Building: Vivian Chen (IM, ‘23) and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24)

Other Competitors:
Sameer Bajaj (ACT, ‘24), Sylvia Cheeseman (DM, ‘22), Kacy Chung (VA, ‘23), Caleb Empig (IM, ‘23), Shayna Kaplan (IM, ‘23), Grant Li (CW, ‘23), Amy Lee (IM, ‘23), Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23), Kei Shimabukuro (IM, ‘24), Em Wei-Ten (PM, ‘23), Jiin Yun (IM, ‘24), and Audrey Zhang (IM,‘24)

National Invitational Science Olympiad Satellite Competition:

3rd place:
Write it CAD It: Katherine Given (ACT, ‘24) and Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22)

4th place:
Cybersecurity: Grant Li (CW, ‘23) and Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23)

6th place:
Botany: Shayna Kaplan (IM, ‘23) and Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24)

8th place:
It’s About Time: Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23) and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24)

11th place:
Ornithology: Sylvia Cheeseman (DM, ‘22) and Vivian Chen (IM, ‘23)

12th place:
Bioinformatics: Em Wei-Ten (PM, ‘23) and Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24)

13th place:
Digital Structures: Sameer Bajaj (ACT, ‘24) and Kei Shimabukuro (IM, ‘24)
Codebusters: Grant Conroy (CV, ‘25), Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22), and Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23)

18th place:
Anatomy and Physiology: Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23) and Audrey Zhang (IM, ‘24)
Astronomy: Grant Conroy (CV, ‘25) and Katherine Given (ACT, ‘24)
Disease Detectives: Tane Kim (IM, ‘24) and Jiin Yun (IM, ‘24)

21st place:
Green Generation: Sylvia Cheeseman (DM, ‘22) and Jiin Yun (IM, ‘24)

Other Competitors:
Kacy Chung (VA, ‘23), Caleb Empig (IMP, ‘23), and Amy Lee (IM, ‘23)

The following Classical Voice Conservatory students performed in the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Student Evaluation Program. They participated through the Los Angeles chapter, which received hundreds of submissions. The students received the following awards:

Classical:

6th-8th Youth (ages 11-12)
First Place - Leila Woodward (CV, ‘27)
Second Place - Angelina Pendleton-Mendez (CV, ‘27)

6th-8th Youth (ages 13-14)
Third Place - Henry Courtney (CV, ‘26)

9th-10th Grade Treble (Group 1)
First Place - Luna Zamora (CV, ‘24)
Second Place - Madison Becerra (CV, ‘25)
Honorable Mention - Sky Keyoung (CV, ‘25)

9th-10th Grade Treble (Group 2)
Second Place - Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘24)
Honorable Mention - Lilliana Mindel (CV, ‘24)

9th-10th Grade Tenor/Baritone/Bass
First Place - Julian Schuld (CV, ‘24)
Second Place - Sebastian Nunez (CV, ‘24)
Third Place - Bryce Leng (CV, ‘24)
Honorable Mention - Jack Wilson (CV, ‘25) and Maxwell Yen (CV, ‘24)

11th-12th Grade Treble (Group 1)
Third Place - Jaidyn Portanova (CV, ‘23)
Honorable Mention - Alexandra Holbrook (CV) and Sophia Kimmel (CV, ‘22)

11th-12th Grade Treble (Group 2)
Third Place - Mia Baron (CV, ‘23)
Honorable Mention - Anjal Jain (CV, ‘22)

11th-12th Grade Tenor/Baritone/Bass
First Place - Evan Richards (CV, ‘22)
Second Place - Lukas Wozencraft (CV, ‘22)
Third Place - Stephen Goeres-Hill (CV, ‘23)
Honorable Mentions - Alexander Jeon (CV, ‘23)

Musical Theater:

6th-8th Youth (age 12)
2nd Place - Leila Woodward (CV, ‘27)
Honorable Mention - Angelina Pendleton-Mendez (CV, ‘27)

9th-10th Grade Treble (Group 1)
Second Place - Luna Zamora (CV, ‘24)

11th-12th Grade Treble (Group 2)
Honorable Mention - Mia Baron (CV, ‘23)

Jessica Hong (CW, ‘24) received the Judge’s Distinction Award in Category III (ages 13-15) of the Satori Strings Grand Prize Contest.

Jennifer Vu (IM, ‘26) won the Golden Prize and a $300 award in the Chamber Music Division (Youth Piano Duet) at the 2021 Kansas City Conero International Piano Competition.

Sterling Tran (IM, ‘27) won first place awards at the II International Chopin Piano Competition in Austria, the Rocky Mountain Music Competition, the Carmel Klavier Latin America Competition, and the 8th International Piano Competition Smederevo, where he won the special award for Promising Young Artist. Sterling also received third place at the 9th International Piano Competition "Frederic Chopin" in Romania, second place in the solo category from the Carmel Klavier International Piano Competition for Young Artists, and a scholarship award to the Costa Rica Piano Festival.

In addition to these awards, Sterling also performed at the Winner Gala Concert for the 2021 Conero International Piano Competition, and was also appointed the first alternate for the Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) Piano Concerto Solo Competition.

Josh Wood, Director of the Creative Writing Conservatory, had his flash science fiction story, "Space & Aces," published in the online magazine 365 Tomorrows.

The following alumni were selected to perform in the return of Disney’s ¡Viva Navidad! at Disney California Adventure Park. This heartfelt street party celebrates both Mexican and Brazilian cultures through the characters of the famed movie "The Three Caballeros."

Jackie Alvarez (IM, ‘18)
Vivian Alvarez (BF, ‘19)
Dominique Breckenridge (BF, ‘16)
Iris Distancia (BF, ‘16)
Matthew De Leon (BF, ‘17)
Alyssa Gomez (BF, ‘17)
Michael Gomez (BF, ‘14)
Melina Marin (MT, ‘18)
Adrian Martinez (BF, ‘20)
Brianna Marquez BF, ‘18)
Madeline Peña (BF, ‘14)
Jose Rea (BF, ‘18)
Rodrigo Rea (BF, ‘21)
Jose Rivera (BF, ‘18)

The following students from The Mekjian Culinary Arts & Hospitality Conservatory were invited to participate in the MaxLove Project Farm to Fork Dinner at Tanaka Farms, which raises funds to fight childhood cancer.

Marie Acalin (CAH, ‘24)
Alexis Arvizu (CAH, ‘24)
Lindsay Bae (CAH, ‘23)
Aurelia Carrie (CAH, ‘23)
Dong Won Chang (CAH, ‘23)
Aveline Chauchereau (CAH, ‘22)
Hazel Ciufo (CAH, ‘24)
Lanna Gale (CAH, ‘23)
Naya Garg (CAH, ‘24)
Samantha Gee (CAH, ‘24)
Kim Ha (CAH, ‘24)
Darian Hojreh (CAH, ‘22)
Megan Hughes (CAH, ‘24)
Sam Johnson (CAH, ‘22)
Samuel Laven (CAH, ‘23)
Lexi Layne (CAH, ‘24)
Bree Lew (CAH, ‘23)
Madison (Star) Lu (CAH, ‘22)
Kyleigh Nielson (CAH, ‘23)
Mia Octavio (CAH, ‘23)
Ryan Okajima (CAH, ‘23)
Kim Paige (CAH, ‘22)
Noga Raz (CAH, ‘24)
Brieanna Samaniego (CAH, ‘24)
Tira Smith (CAH, ‘24)
Jordan Spence (CAH, ‘24)
Evelyn Wu (CAH, ‘23)

The following students were accepted into the California Band Directors Association (CBDA) All-State Band for 2021:

Sejin Byun (IM, ‘27) - Bb Clarinet
Hannah Cho (IM, ‘25) - Oboe
Sumin Cho (IM, ‘25) - Viola
Irene Choung (IM, ‘24) - Cello
Armaan Diwan (IM, ‘27) - Tenor Saxophone
Auvin Hajian (IM, ‘22) - Trombone
Kylie Heidal (IM, ‘23) - Bass Trombone
Miri Izenberg (IM, ‘26) - Trumpet
Chelsea Jiang (IM, ‘27) - Piccolo
Amy Jong (IM, ‘24) - Cello
David Jou (IM, ‘23) - Violin II
Ariana Kim (IM, ‘25) - Bassoon
Heather Kim (IM, ‘24) - Flute
Heejae Kim (IM, ‘27) - Violin I
Jaden Kim (IM, ‘25) - Violin I
Lauren Kim (IM, ‘23) - Violin II
Tane Kim (IM, ‘24) - Cello
Ryan Klotz (IM, ‘22) - Tuba
Amy Lee (IM, ‘23) - Violin II
Jaynie Lee (IM, ‘27) - Violin II
Allison Molin (IM, ‘25) - Trumpet
Darren Qiu (IM, ‘24) - Alto & Soprano Sax
Owen Ramos (IM, ‘27) - Trombone
Elliot Shiwota (IM, ‘22) - Percussion
Kenny Song (IM, ‘27) - Bb Clarinet
Leo Sui (IM, ‘23) - Trombone
Audrey Yoon (IM, ‘26) - Violin I
Jiin Yun (CW, ‘24) - Cello

Ava Kuntz (CV, ‘21) was selected to participate in the South Coast Symphony’s Young STARS of the Future concert.

Tane Kim’s (IM, ‘24) manuscript, titled "Analyzing TCGA Data to Identify Gene Mutations Linked To Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Asians," was accepted for publication in "Gastrointestinal Tumors" which is an international, peer-reviewed journal that brings together the leading opinions in all fields related to gastrointestinal cancer research. Tane also scored within the top five percent of scores on the American Math Competition Ten (AMC 10) and qualified for the 2022 American Invitational Mathematics Examination (AIME) with distinction. This is his second time qualifying for AIME.

The following Ballroom Conservatory students received combined 1st, 3rd, 4th, and 6th place awards at the Elite Dancesport competition.

Rafael Cabanas (BR, ‘27)
Presley Herthel (BR, ‘26)
Jack Hillebrect (BR, ‘26)
Marina Pitt (BR, ‘26)

John Walcutt, Director of The El-Erian Family Acting Conservatory, recently performed his one-man show, "The Mythology of Me," at the Margaret A. Webb Theatre.

Maya Bleszinski (MT, ‘23) music directed and Kyle Stafford (ACT, ‘23) staged and directed Act One Project’s production of "Ghost Quartet." Act One Project is a student-run theatre company founded by Kyle.

Adrienne Amanda Morrow (MT, ‘25) was cast in "A Christmas Story: The Musical" at Tuacahn Center for the Arts in St. George, Utah.

Melody Chang (IM, ‘22) was named a 2022 Coca-Cola Scholar in recognition of her superior leadership, service, and academics, as well as her efforts to positively affect others in her community. Out of the 251 regional finalists across the country, she was one of 150 selected to receive a $20,000 college scholarship and join a network of more than 6,600 Coca-Cola Scholar alumni that encourage, challenge, and support each other in their common goal of making the world a better place.

The Orange County Register announced the nominees for the 9th Annual Artist of the Year Awards. This program highlights talented students across the county for their accomplishments in the arts. Each of these students has proven their abilities in their areas of expertise.

Theater:

Acting
Scott Becker (ACT, ‘22)
Carlos Jimenez (ACT, ‘22)
Sophia Madrigal (ACT, ‘22)
Lauren Mei (ACT, ‘23)

Musical Theater Performance
Kenneth Takeshita (MT, ‘22)
Brooklyn Vizcarra (MT, ‘22)

Vocal Music:

Classical Voice
Mia Paris Baron (CV, ‘23)
Alexander Jeon (CV, ‘23)
Evan Richards (CV, ‘22)

Commercial Voice
Ava Ulloa (PM, ‘22)

Nina Herzog (MT, ‘09) was selected to star in "My (Unauthorized) Hallmark Movie Musical" at the Broadwater Theater in Los Angeles.

Aryan Simhadri (ACT, ‘24) received a Young Artist Award for Best Teen Actor in a Streaming Film for his role in "The Main Event."