STATE OF THE ART

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.

Artist of the Year Winners:

Jonah Smith (CMD, ‘23) – Dance
Lucie Kim (IM, ‘24) – Instrumental Music


Finalists:

Dance
Faith Aguilar (CMD, ‘23)
Courtney Chiu (BCD, ‘23)

Fine Arts
Chelsea Lee (VA, ‘24)
Melody Wu (VA, ‘24)

Instrumental Music
Heather Kim (IM, ‘24) - Flute
Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) - Piano

Media Arts
Ava Diaz (DM, ‘24)
David Du (FTV, ‘24)
Ethan Situ Leung (DM, ‘23)

Theater
Elora Sparnicht (CW, ‘23)

Vocal Music
Lilliana Mindel (CV, ‘24)

Da Yea Sue (CAH, ‘21), Isabella Vegh (CAH, ‘21), and Mckenna Voisin (CAH, ‘19) received 2022 California Restaurant Foundation Scholarships.

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

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)
Second Place: Simran Goyal (CV, ‘28)
Third Place: Leitan (Julia) Zhou (CV, ‘28)

6th-8th Youth (Ages 12-14)
First Place: Reese Guenther-Clark (CV, ‘27)
Honorable Mention: Leila Woodward (CV, ‘27)

9th-10th Grade Treble
First Place: Sydney Sublette (CV, ‘26)
Second Place: Mona George (CV, ‘25)

9th-10th Grade Tenor/Baritone/Bass
First Place: Jack Wilson (CV, ‘25)
Second Place: Michael Morris (CV, ‘26)
Third Place: James Conroy (CV, ‘25)
Honorable Mention: Henry Courtney (CV, ‘26)

11th-12th Grade Treble
First Place: Mia Baron (CV, ‘23)
Second Place: Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘24)
Third Place: Lilliana Mindel (CV, ‘24)
Honorable Mention: Jaidyn Portanova (CV, ‘23)

11th-12th Grade Tenor/Baritone/Bass
First Place: Jeffery Yang (CV, ‘24)
Second Place: Sebastian Nunez (CV, ‘24)

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:

Musical Theater:

6th-8th Youth (Ages 12-14)
Second Place: Leila Woodward (CV, ‘27)
Honorable Mention: Cadence Bleakley (CV, ‘27)

9th-10th Grade Treble (Group 1)
First Place: Xianger Fang (CV, ‘26)

9th-10th Grade Treble (Group 2)
First Place: Sydney Sublette (CV, ‘26)
Third Place: Sky Keyoung (CV, ‘25)
Honorable Mention: Mona George (CV, ‘25)

9th-10th Grade Tenor/Baritone/Bass
Honorable Mention: Garrett Wirth (CV, ‘25)

11th-12th Grade Treble (Group 1)
Second Place: Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘24)
Third Place: Lilliana Mindel (CV, ‘24)

11th-12th Grade Treble (Group 2)
Second Place: Mia Baron (CV, ‘23)
Honorable Mention: Jaidyn Portanova (CV, ‘23)

Avery Mizrahi (IA, ‘24) was recognized as a National Science Foundation Fellow at the University of California, Irvine where she presented her preliminary research, which hopes to find a biomarker for Alzheimer's disease. Avery was part of a cohort of undergraduate Fellows that flew in from around the country to work in various neuroscience labs with star mentors over the summer.

JJ Barton (PM, ‘26) signed his first commercial music contract to sing the title track of a brand-new cartoon, “Monster Loving Manics.” The cartoon is currently being aired all across Europe. JJ and his rock band “Duct Tape,” of which he is the lead singer, also played their first sold-out gig at Campus Jax in Newport Beach. Additionally, JJ was cast in his second Dhar Mann short film, titled “Kid Gets Sent to Military School.”

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)

William Chung (PD, ‘26) received the Best Player Award at the Education for Next Generation Organization (ENGO) Scholarship Junior Kendo Championship. He competed in the 12-13 year-old Individual and Team Best Five divisions and won a total of $300 in scholarships.

William Jin (IM, ‘24) was invited to perform in Winners' Recitals at Carnegie Hall and Merkin Concert Hall at the Kaufman Center in New York City.

Luke Witting (IA, ‘23) was accepted into and attended a songwriting and performance summer session workshop at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles, where he learned from professionals in the industry and collaborated with other high school students from the greater Los Angeles area.

Ashley Hodge (IA, ‘23) performed the lead role of Ariel in “The Little Mermaid” at The Music Room School of Performing Arts.

The following students were recognized as 2023 YoungArts Winners by the National YoungArts Foundation for their artistic achievements. YoungArts award winners at all levels receive cash prizes between $100 and $10,000. All YoungArts Finalists are also invited to participate in National YoungArts Week where they collaborate with peers and develop their crafts with internationally recognized leaders in their fields.

Finalists:
Edward Chen (IA, ‘24) – Dance (Hip Hop)
Hannah Cho (IM, ‘25) – Classical Music (Oboe)
Amy Jong (IM, ‘24) – Classical Music (Violoncello)
Caroline Kim (VA, ‘25) – Design Arts
Ashley Park (CW, ‘23) – Writing (Spoken Word)
Joan Park (PM, ‘23) – Voice (Popular (Pop)

Honorable Mentions:
David Du (FTV, ‘24) – Film (Animation)
Ella Gibson (PM, ‘23) – Voice (Popular (Pop))
Olivia Le (CW, ‘25) – Writing (Spoken Word)
Amelie Muro (FTV, ‘22) – Film (Experimental)
Ava Ulloa (PM, ‘22) – Voice (Popular (Pop))
Jocelyn Wang (PM, ‘23) – Voice (Singer-Songwriter)

Merit:
Caleb Empig (IM, ‘23) – Classical Music (Piano)
Heather Kim (IM, ‘24) – Classical Music (Flute)
Katerina Malabarba (CW, ‘24) – Writing (Novel)
Maraia Mariselli (PM) – Voice (Singer-Songwriter)
Mehra Marzbani (ACT, ‘23) – Theater (Spoken Only)
Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) – Jazz (Piano)
Ava Ulloa (PM, ‘22) – Voice (Jazz)
Cheungwan Wang (VA, ‘23) – Visual Arts

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

The following students were selected as regional semifinalists in the Coca-Cola Scholars Program in recognition of their leadership, service, and academics, as well as their efforts to positively affect others in their community. Winners will be selected to receive a $20,000 college scholarship and to join a network of more than 6,000 Coca-Cola Scholar alumni that encourage, challenge, and support each other in their common goal of making the world a better place.

Yoojin Jo (IM, ‘23)
Seoyun Kang (VA, ‘23)
Annabelle Kim (CW, ‘23)
Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23)
Joshua Qin (BR, ‘23)
Allison Wong (CW, ‘23)

MONTAGE! was featured on the front page of the “Los Angeles Times Daily Pilot” for their performance in the annual Tree Lighting performance at South Coast Plaza. To read the full article, please visit https://bit.ly/3F2gIZ3.

Piper Huntley (PD, ‘25) was cast in South Coast Repertory’s 2022 seasonal production of “A Christmas Carol,” a professional live performance with eight shows a week on South Coast Repertory’s Segerstrom Stage.

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.

Priscilla Delgado (ACT, ‘20) was cast in the role of Esti González in the Amazon Prime Video series “A League of Their Own.”

Randy Au, Assistant Director of the Visual Arts Conservatory, was featured in an article by Stu News Newport about his ceramic vegetable art exhibit currently on display at John Wayne Airport. To read the full article, please visit: https://bit.ly/3VHn0E4

Irene Son (VA, ‘25) received a Blue Ribbon and the Judges’ Award from the Orange County Fair Fine Art Competition for her painting, titled “Wildlife’s Home.”

Luke McGarry (VA, ‘05) was featured on a segment of KCAL9 News to talk about his career in animation. To watch the full segment, please visit: https://bit.ly/3VPvqcW

Emi Yoshino (PD, ‘20) was selected to serve as the assistant stage manager for an event featuring Al Pacino, titled Pacino One Night Only.

Skyler Tran (IM, ‘28) and Sterling Tran (IM, ‘27) traveled to Toronto to accept awards from the Rocky Mountain Music Competition and perform live at the York University.

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.

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

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.”

The following Strings & Orchestra students, alumni, as well as Program Coordinator Dr. Nicolaus Yee, performed in the season finale of “The Masked Singer” alongside the final act.

Kiana Alvarez (IM, ‘21)
Shawn Berry (IM, ‘16)
Joshua Cua (IM, ‘24)
Michael Fleming (IM, ‘12)
Jason Galantine (IM, ‘20)
Raija Hammad (IM, ‘23)
Shayna Kaplan (IM, ‘23)
Liam Ramos (IM, ‘24)
Matthew Teng (IM, ‘20)
Eleas Vrahnos (IM, ‘20)
Christopher Ye (IM, ‘17)

Katya Richardson (IM, ‘15) won a Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Score on a Short Documentary for the documentary titled “MINK!”.

Sophie Cheng (PD, ‘24) received third place at the International Federation of Aesthetic Group Gymnastics (IFAGG) Junior Tuah Cup and sixth place at the IFAGG Junior World Cup.

Kalia Lagbao (IA, ‘27) was chosen to perform at the Boys & Girls Clubs of America Pacific Region Conference in Huntington Beach.

Luna Zamora (CV, ‘24) was awarded the President’s Gold Volunteer Service Award from The White House.

Julian Gwin (MT, ‘27) was cast in the role of Charlie Winslow in an upcoming production of “Holiday Inn” at Vanguard University.

Thea Larsen (IA, ‘23) received first place in the California Association of Collectors Educational Scholarship Foundation (CACESF) essay writing competition out of over 1,700 applicants and also was named a CACESF Scholarship State Champion.

Wyatt Barclay (FTV, ‘16) co-produced the horror/reality television series “Spook Show 17,” which follows the creators of The 17th Door, an intense haunted house attraction in Southern California.

Hannah Cho (IM, ‘25) received the silver medal and $2,000 cash award from the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Competition. She also competed in the Midwest Double Reed Society’s Eric Varner Young Artist Competition and was awarded first place in the high school oboe division. Hannah also received the Katherine Needleman Scholarship and performed in this year’s All-National Honor Symphony and Carnegie Hall NYO2 Orchestra.

Irene Son (VA, ‘25) received the Judges Award in the painting category at the Orange County Fair and also received The Korea Daily CEO Award for her piece, “Anxious Future.”

The Visual Arts Conservatory was featured in the Orange County Register for their annual Painted Pumpkin auction. To read the full article, please visit: https://bit.ly/3MvMUHN

Aashna Rana (CV, ‘23) was selected to speak at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Education Conference in Austin, Texas. SXSW celebrates the convergence of technology, film, music, education, and culture and is one of the largest globally attended conferences in the world. Aashna was chosen along with three other Junior Statesmen of America (JSA) Governors to speak about how Gen Z takes part in advocacy.

Allison Wong (CW, ‘23) was featured in a Spectrum News 1 segment about how she designed a 40-page coding booklet for underserved children at KidWorks in Santa Ana. To view the segment, please visit: https://bit.ly/3B5q9pw

Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) has been ranked by Niche as the #1 Best Charter High School in California for the fourth year in a row, as well as the #6 Best Charter High School in America! Please visit https://bit.ly/3D8R02u to view all the 2023 rankings for OCSA. We would like to express our gratitude to all the students, teachers, and staff who continue to make OCSA exceptional.

Angela Delgado (PD, ‘22) was featured in an article as one of VoyageLA Magazine’s Rising Stars. To read the full article, please visit: https://bit.ly/3B9lzXh

Lauren Chudner (VA, ‘23) and Faith Hochgesang (IA, ‘23) both earned perfect scores on the 2022 AP Research exam. Of the roughly 29,000 students who took the exam only 306 earned every point available on their paper, presentation, and oral defense. These students are officially in the highest scoring 1% of researchers.

The following students were named semifinalists for National Merit Scholarships. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation selected more than 16,000 semifinalists who are competing nationally for nearly $28 million in scholarships, which will be awarded next spring.

Ashley Hodge (IA, ‘23)
Yoojung (Sally) Jang (CW, ‘23)
Yoojin Jo (IM, ‘23)
Amber Khauv (CW, ‘23)
Grant Li (CW, ‘23)
Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23)
Joshua Qin (BD, ‘23)
Clara Son (CW, ‘23)
Allison Wong (CW, ‘23)
Evan Wu (IM, ‘23)

Delaney Laughlin (ACT, ‘25) was selected to walk in the Edwing D’Angelo show in New York Fashion Week.

William Okajima (CMD, ‘20) was featured in a recent Apple commercial promoting the iPhone 14.

Yoojung (Sally) Jang (CW, ‘23) was awarded the $2,000 Outstanding High School Project Award in the national Lowell Milken Center (LMC) Discovery Awards for her project, titled “A Voice in the Dark: Kim Hak-Sun’s Breakthrough Comfort Women Testimony.”

The following students received the National Recognition Program Award from two of the four College Board recognition programs that award academic honors to underrepresented students.This award recognizes their academic achievements and outstanding performances on the PSAT/NMSQT, PSAT 10, and/or AP Exams.

National African American Recognition Award
Kayalani Degrave (MT, ‘23)
Ayanna Dowell (CMD, ‘23)
Aurelia Philmore (BD, ‘24)

National Hispanic Recognition Award
Sabrina Aguilar (DM, ‘23)
Maya Bleszinski (MT, ‘23)
Analise Delp (CW, ‘24)
Maya Ferchaw (ACT, ‘24)
Abril Garcia (CW, ‘23)
Mia Guillen (IA, ‘23)
David Llenderrozos (CW, ‘23)
Alexa Nunez Magana (MT, ‘23)
Ava Tello (ACT, ‘24)
Arianna Torres (CW, ‘23)
Candace Ramirez (VA, ‘23)
Sophia Ruiz (MT, ‘23)

Clare Murphy (IA, ‘23) had her writing featured on Kelly Corrigan’s podcast, “Kelly Corrigan Wonders.”

Delaney Laughlin (ACT, ‘25) was featured on a KTLA Morning News segment with Melissa Chataigne on back-to-school fashion. To watch the segment, please visit: https://bit.ly/3ulugtR

Isabella Betancourt (MT, ‘25) performed the lead role of Princess Fiona in the McCoy Rigby Arts production of “Shrek The Musical” in Yorba Linda.

Paige Oden, Director of the Visual Arts Conservatory, was featured in Stu News Newport for her participation in an art installation project in collaboration with the City of Hope and South Coast Plaza. To read more about the project, please visit: https://bit.ly/3B4tTrg

Cynthia Huang (CW, ‘24) earned the $7,500 Grand Prize for the We the Students Scholarship Essay Contest, out of 4,000 entries nationally. Cynthia was also featured in an article in the Irvine Standard. To read the full article, please visit: https://bit.ly/3gPhyR6

Tennessee Freese (IM, ‘27), Cash Lane (IM, ‘25), Maverick Lane (PM, ‘27), Max Rossini (PM, ‘25), and their band, Youthanize, were chosen to play on the main stage at the 2023 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show.

Jonah Clem (MT, ‘26) received a Red Ribbon at the Orange County Fair for his digital art submission in the Fine Arts Competition.

Remy Hall (IA, ‘22) was featured in the Orange County Register for painting a mural on a set of handball courts at Eader Elementary School in Huntington Beach.

Nathaniel Sprague (IM, ‘26) placed second in piano at the Music Teachers Association of California (MTAC) Concerto Competition, held at Chapman University.

Kei Shimabukuro (IM, ‘24) was selected as the winner of the 2022 Congressional Art Competition for California's 48th Congressional District. Kei’s winning artwork, titled “Lucky Orange,” was selected to be displayed in the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. for one year. Kei also received round-trip airfare to attend the awards ceremony.

Doyeon (Jennifer) Kim (VA, ‘25) was named the winner of the 2022 CA-39 Congressional Art Competition. Her winning artwork, titled “A Soulful Night Market,” was selected to be displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, DC for one year.

Hannah MacDonald (CAH, ‘18) was selected to work as a project coordinator for Jacobs Doland Beer, the largest food service design firm in the United States.