STATE OF THE ART

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.

Film and Animation:

Animation and Visual Effects
Romeo Martin (DM, ‘22)

Cinematography
Justin Shin (FTV, ‘22)

Directing and Editing
Maggie Ding (FTV, ‘22)
Youning Jiang (FTV, ‘22)
Anirudh Vadhri Kota (FTV, ‘22)
Alexis Ai Macdonald (FTV, ‘22)
Nona Nishigawara (FTV, ‘22)
Michael McDonald (IA, ‘22)

Handcrafted Visual Arts:

Hand Drawing and Painting
Grace Jo (VA, ‘22)
Alison Amber Lee (VA, ‘23)
London San Luis (DM, ‘23)
Xiaowei (Sophia) Wang (VA, ‘22)

Mixed Media
Joyce Yuruo Hong (VA, ‘22)
Hannah Kang (VA, ‘22)

Instrumental Music:

Piano and Strings
Xingyao Li (IM, ‘22)
Sarah Parigela (IM, ‘23)
Sein Yun (IM, ‘22)
Hannah Zhao (IM, ‘22)

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)

The Orange County Register announced the winners, finalists, and semifinalists for the 8th Annual Artist of the Year Awards, and OCSA had five winners out of seven arts categories this year! The Artist of the Year program honors talented students across the county for their accomplishments in the arts.

Artist of the Year Winners:
Joyce Yuruo Hong (VA, ‘22) - Handcrafted Visual Arts
Youning Jiang (FTV, ‘22) - Film and Animation
Lauren Mei (ACT, ‘23) - Acting
Danielle Silver (CMD, ‘22) - Dance
Landon Wouters (MT, ‘22) - Vocal Music

The Orange County Register announced the winners, finalists, and semifinalists for the 8th Annual Artist of the Year Awards, and OCSA had five winners out of seven arts categories this year! The Artist of the Year program honors talented students across the county for their accomplishments in the arts.

Finalists:
Computer-Assisted Visual Arts:
Computer Drawing and Painting
Juliana Jarvis (DM, ‘22)

Handcrafted Visual Arts:
Hand Drawing and Painting
Grace Jo (VA, ‘22)

Mixed Media
Hannah Kang (VA, ‘22)

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

Theater:
Acting
Sophia Madrigal (ACT, ‘22)

Musical Theater Performance
Brooklyn Vizcarra (MT, ‘22)

Vocal Music:
Classical Voice
Evan Richards (CV, ‘22)

Semifinalists:
Computer-Assisted Visual Arts:

Computer Drawing and Painting
Elise Maniquis-Dormitorio (DM, ‘22)
Hannah Miller (DM, ‘22)

Graphic Design and Digital Illustration
Josh Nguyen (FTV, ‘22)

Photography (Film and Digital)
Soren Almeida (FTV, ‘22)

Joanne Javien (MT, ‘99), Ella Mardirossian (MT, ‘23), and OCSA Musical Theatre Instructor Gina Velez, participated in a production of “The Sound of Music” at La Mirada Theater of the Performing Arts.

The following students participated in the California State Thespian Festival and received the following awards:

Gai Jones Senior Honor Thespian Scholarship:
Ethan Gray (ACT, ‘22)

Thespy Award Winners:

Solo Musical
First place: Brooklyn Vizcarra (MT, ‘22)

Duet Musical
First place: Meghan Barton (MT, ‘23) and Ella Gibson (PM, ‘23)

Solo Monologue
Second place: Kaya Sparnicht (ACT, ‘25)

Top Scoring (Thespy Superior):

Solo Musical
Meghan Barton (MT, ‘23)
Samantha Divis (MT, ‘25)
Mia Geise (MT, ‘24)
Ella Gibson (PM, ‘23)
Daniel Grossgold (IA, ‘24)
Chloe Ness (MT, ‘24)
Erin Tardibuono (MT, ‘25)
Brooklyn Vizcarra (MT, ‘24)
Landon Wouters (MT, ‘22)

Duet Musical
Meghan Barton (MT, ‘23)
Ella Gibson (PM, ‘23)
Brooklyn Vizcarra (MT, ‘24)
Landon Wouters (MT, ‘22)

Solo Monologue
Isabella Lloyd (IA, ‘25)
Kaya Sparnicht (ACT, ‘25)

Alyssa Kim (MT, ‘26) was cast in one of the lead roles of the short film “To The Lights” directed by Emily Kim.

The following students were involved in the creation of an original film, titled "Pho," which was shown at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival in France.

Ethan Chu (FTV, ‘21) – Writer/Director/Editor
Aaron Orullian, Director of Film & Television – Executive Producer
Antone Axten (MT) – Cinematographer/Colorist
Darren Camaya (FTV, ‘21) – Production Assistant
Ella Beatriz Catacutan (CMD, ‘21) – Extras
Ren Collantes (FTV, ‘21) – Gaffer/Sound Mixer
David Du (FTV, ‘21) – Production Assistant
Ava Encinas (FTV, ‘21) – Producer
Noah Frech (FTV, ‘21) – Still Photographer
Cooper Hardwick (FTV, ‘21) – Still Photographer
Lilah Horton (CMD, ‘21) – Extras
Paris Phillips (FTV, ‘21) – Makeup Artist

Ashli St. Armant (MT, ‘03) produced her debut theatrical production, titled “NORTH.”

The following OCSA students, as a part of Empowering Arts (eA), a nonprofit founded by Hannah Cho (IM ‘25), were awarded the President's Volunteer Service Gold Award. The students were recognized for their musical concerts at nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and the Blind Children’s Learning Center.

Dylan Chia (IM, ‘26)
Brent Cho (ACT, ‘27)
Hannah Cho (IM, ‘25)
Isabella Cho (ACT, ‘27)
Sumin Cho (IM, ‘25)
Emma Chuang (VA, ‘25)
Mia Geise (MT, ‘24)
Andrew Fung (IM, ‘24)
Arim (Ariana) Kim (IM, ‘25)
Jennifer Kim (VA, ‘25)
Calene Lee (CW, ‘25)
Sunny Lee (IM, ‘24)
Danny O'Grady (IM, ‘24)
Jae Eun (April) Park (IM, ‘25)
Emy Pardo (MT, ‘24)
Lucy Woo (IM, ‘25)
River Zylstra (ACT, ‘27)

Paige Oden, Director of the Visual Arts Conservatory, has been selected to receive the 2022 Arts Schools Network (ASN) Teacher of the Year Award. Additionally, Dante Basco (MT, ‘93) received the 2022 ASN Outstanding Arts School Alumni Achievement Award, which honors an individual whose commitment to excellence is demonstrated through outstanding accomplishments in the areas of citizenship, arts, and academics.

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

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)

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

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)

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

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)