Dr. Ryan Reithmeier, Director of the Classical Voice Conservatory at Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA), has been overseeing a student-run initiative throughout this school year, the CSMusic High School Showcase Ensemble.
This student-led experience, spearheaded by Viveka Saravanan (CV ’24), Jeffrey Yang (CV ’24) and Hugo Nguyen (PM, ‘24), has allowed students to explore the creative process through the development and creation of this original project, a curated pastiche production that tells the story of a neglected family.
They have worked diligently to bring together opera, musical theater and popular music through their unique storytelling. When the project began, the students and Dr. Reithmeier were approached by The Philharmonic Society of Orange County to gather a group of performers for their Triumph Over Adversity Festival’s Creative Workshop Showcase, which will be held on the OCSA campus.
The Creative Workshop Showcase features original works performed by Classical Voice and Popular Music Conservatory students. The students first worked independently, rehearsing, coaching, arranging, and developing material with periodic check-ins from Dr. Reithmeier. Then they worked with Davoné Tines, a widely acclaimed baritone and the Philharmonic Society’s festival artistic director, for several months. This showcase will be a culmination of all the students' work after delving into the creative process with Dr. Reithmeier and Tines.
“The process is so valuable, and the opportunity to welcome Davoné Tines into this imagined show is teaching the students even more about how art emerges from ideas and spaces previously unexplored. That the self-expression in the art of song is full of experimentation and exploration, even after hundreds of years of its global history,” said Dr. Reithmeier.
The pastiche production featured at this Triumph Over Adversity event is being co-directed by Classical Voice students, Jeffrey Yang and Viveka Saravanan, and Popular Music student Hugo Nguyen is the music arranger. Other featured performers include, Sky Keyoung (CV, ‘25), Chloe Ness (CV, ‘24), Sebastian Nuñez (CV, ‘24), Kate Um (CV, ‘24), Hope Bradley (CV, ‘26), Grant Conroy (CV, ‘25), Jaden Yoo (CV, ‘25), Sydney Sublette (CV, ‘26), and Madison Becerra (CV, ‘25).
“Working with Mr. Tines as part of the Triumph Over Adversity Festival has been a perfect intersection between the creative work that we do at OCSA and the possibilities that can emerge when engaging an imaginative mind like that of Mr. Tines,” said Dr. Reithmeier.
The Triumph Over Adversity Creative Workshop Showcase will be held this evening, February 24 at 7 p.m. in Michael F. Harrah Symphony Hall. Tickets are free, but reservations are required. Please click here to reserve your seats.