STATE OF THE ART

Emily Leo (CAH, ‘25), Max Madsen (CAH, ‘26), Tira Smith (CAH, ‘24), and Cynthia Zhou (CAH, ‘26) were featured in the September 2024 issue of Orange County Business Journal. The article gave praise to the students and their big win at the National ProStart Invitational, where they won the championship title.

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

Ben Agran (PM, ‘27) and Deven Dhanidina (PM, ‘29) performed with their band, Head Wide Open, at Left Coast Brewing in Irvine. Ben plays guitar for the band and Deven is on vocals, as well as guitar and bass.

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.

Noah Flores (DM, ‘26) won the Division 30 Tournament of Champions with his South Sunrise Little League baseball team, The Dirtbags. They also won the District 30 All-Stars Tournament.

Aaron Chang (CMD, ‘26) made his acting debut in the coming-of-age movie “Didi (弟弟)” in the role of Soup. “Didi (弟弟)” premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award.

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.

Tim Powers, Creative Writing Conservatory Instructor, received the 2024 Comic-Con International’s Inkpot Award. Inkpot Awards are given to individuals for their contributions to the world of comics, science-fiction/fantasy, film, television, animation, and fandom services.

Helena Donato-Sapp (CW, ‘27) was named the 2024-2025 Long Beach Youth Poet Laureate and a finalist for the 2024-2025 Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles County, where she was recognized as an Los Angeles Youth Poet Ambassador. Additionally, she was invited by the California Teachers Association to be a keynote speaker for two different conferences. Helena spoke on the topic of disability justice, a topic she is well-versed in as a globally award-winning activist on disability rights and inclusion. Her global recognition has also led to her likeness being used as the design for the National Education Association’s “Get Out the Vote” banner by Art Build Workers, a group of artists, designers, photographers, and educators based out of Milwaukee.

Sydney Sublette (CV, ‘26) earned Third Place and secured her spot as a top three finalist in the Lower High School Classical Treble category at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) National Competition in Knoxville, Tennessee. Sydney was previously a semifinalist in the Classical Voice and Musical Theatre categories in the 2023 National Competition.

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.

Madison Becerra (CV, ‘25) was the 2023 First Place winner of the Stars of Tomorrow Scholarship Competition for Classical Voice, sponsored by the South Coast Singers. Madison had the honor of performing as a soloist with the South Coast Singers in the holiday concert “All is Bright” in December 2023.

Heather Torres Cancino (BR, ‘26) and Constantin Chekardzhikov (BR, ‘24) placed second overall in the Rhythm Dance category at the 2024 United States National Amateur DanceSport Championships. Heather and Constantin were the only OCSA pair to compete in the competition and were the first in OCSA Ballroom’s history to win at the national level.

A group of OCSA students attended the 2024 United States National Amateur Dancesport Championships in Provo, Utah. The Latin Formation Team won Fifth Place in Division 1, while the Smooth Formation Team won Second Place in Division 2. Heather Torres Cancino (BR, ‘27) and Constantin Chekardzhikov (BR, ‘24) also placed second overall in the Rhythm Dance category.

Smooth Formation Team
Mario Berestetsky (BCD, ‘27)
Heather Torres Cancino (BR, ‘27)
Constantin Chekardzhikov (BR, ‘24)
Gabriel Cho (BR, ‘24)
Bella Escobar-Sanchez (BR, ‘24)
Arely Gutierrez (BR, ‘25)
Jared Lee (BR, ‘24)
Liam Majerus (BR, ‘27)
Rylee Miyoshi (BR, ‘28)
Sammy Okada-Lam (BR, ‘26)
Aurelia Philmore (BR, ‘24)
Chloe Savage (BR, ‘24)
Jessica Shen (BR, ‘27)
Brody Silva (BR, ‘25)
Sean Sulit (BR, ‘24)
Celeste Valadez (BR, ‘24)
Alex Vargas (BR, ‘24)
Ariadna Vidal (BR, ‘24)
Felix Wang (BR, ‘27)
James Williams (BR, ‘26)
Selina You (BR, ‘27)
Cynthia Zhang (BR, ‘27)

A group of OCSA students attended the 2024 United States National Amateur Dancesport Championships in Provo, Utah. The Latin Formation Team won Fifth Place in Division 1, while the Smooth Formation Team won Second Place in Division 2. Heather Torres Cancino (BR, ‘27) and Constantin Chekardzhikov (BR, ‘24) also placed second overall in the Rhythm Dance category.

Latin Formation Team
Heather Torres Cancino (BR, ‘27)
Constantin Chekardzhikov (BR, ‘24)
Eddie Chen (IA, ‘24)
Gabriel Cho (BR, ‘24)
Bella Escobar-Sanchez (BR, ‘24)
Presley Herthel (BR, ‘26)
Jack Hillebrecht (BR, ‘26)
Jared Lee (BR, ‘24)
Liam Majerus (BR, ‘27)
Rylee Miyoshi (BR, ‘28)
Marina Pitt (BR, ‘26)
Jessica Sigala (BR, ‘27)
Brody Silva (BR, ‘25)
Kaylee Tran (BR, ‘27)
Felix Wang (BR, ‘27)
James Williams (BR, ‘26)
Selina You (BR, ‘27)
Cynthia Zhang (BR, ‘27)

The Music Center announced their 2024 Spotlight semifinalists and honorable mentions. Spotlight is a nationally recognized competition, scholarship, and artistic development program.

SEMIFINALISTS

Acting
Isabella Kim (ACT, ‘25)

Ballet
Aubrey Banaag (BCD, ‘27)
Preston Walker (BCD, ‘26)

Classical Instrumental
Jesse Hu (IM, ‘28)
Amy Jong (IM, ‘24)
Keilah Park (IM, ‘25)

Classical Voice
Madison Becerra (CV, ‘25) - Honorable Mention
Chloe Ness (CV, ‘24)
Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24)

Contemporary Instrumental
Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24)

Dance
Jonathan Archer (CMD, ‘27)
Logan Macy (CMD, ‘27) - Honorable Mention
Lita Tello (CMD, ‘26)

Non-Classical Voice
Asher Hinton (PM, ‘24)

The Music Center announced their 2024 Spotlight winners. Spotlight is a nationally recognized competition, scholarship, and artistic development program. Out of 14 Grand Prize Finalists, three are from OCSA.

GRAND PRIZE FINALISTS

Andrea Martinez (BF, ‘25) - Dance
Isabella Silva (CMD, ‘26) - Dance
Savannah Tweedt (PM, ‘24) - Contemporary Instrumental

Noah Strattan (ACT, ‘20) performed his magic act alongside alumni Anna Melendres (CMD, ‘18) and Rachel Melendres (CMD, ‘18) at the 2024 New Year Celebration hosted by Kevin Hart at the Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The show, held in the Bristlecone Ballroom, was for over 1,000 very special guests of the MGM Resorts. Strattan currently lives in Las Vegas and has been performing magic there for the last three years. In addition, Strattan often visits Orange County to perform at the Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach as a resident performer.

Lisa Cho (VA, ‘25), Joseph Ho (IM, ‘24), Micah Lewison (CW, ‘24) and Brian Stevens (Director of Community Engagement) attended the second annual Thompson Autism and Neurodevelopmental Center at CHOC Conference in late March. Lisa, Joseph, and Micah are members of the Neurodiversity Club at OCSA. The conference featured keynote presentations, sessions, and panels that focused on community, inclusion of adults with disabilities, and teacher & student skills.

Kiara Widjaja (IA, ‘27) was second runner-up in the category of Amateur Tissu (Ages 13-14) at the 11th West Coast Aerial Arts Festival. This four-day competition recognizes the athletic skills and dedication of young Aerial Arts performers.

The Orange County Register announced the winners, finalists, and semi-finalists for the 2024 Artist of the Year. The program highlighted over 800 talented students from across the county, 84 of which were OCSA students:

ARTIST OF THE YEAR WINNERS:

Caroline Kim (VA, ‘25) - Fine Arts
Viveka Saravanan (CV, ‘24) - Vocal Music
Jadon Wu (IM, ‘25) - Instrumental Music

FINALISTS:

Dance
Mackenzie Couch (CMD, ‘24)
Piper Rovsek (CMD, ‘25)

Fine Arts
Chili Sloop (VA, ‘24)
Melody Wu (VA, ‘24)

Instrumental Music
Savannah Tweedt (IM, ‘24)

Theater
Ava DeVoe (ACT, ‘24)
Isabella Kim (ACT, ‘25)
Kaya Sparnicht (ACT, ‘25)

Vocal Music
William Bolin (CV, ‘24)

SEMI-FINALISTS

Dance
Edward Chen (IA, ‘24)
Katie Couch (CMD, ‘25)
Isabella Guzman (BF, ‘25)
Katelyn Hu (BCD, ‘24)

Film and TV
David Du (FTV, ‘24)
Elise Park (FTV, ‘24)
Alex Wolff (FTV, ‘23)
Sadira Wong (FTV, ‘24)

Fine Arts
Chelsea Lee (VA, ‘24)
Grace Shin (VA, ‘24)
Minnie Zhai (VA, ‘24)

Instrumental Music
Amy Jong (IM, ‘24)
Minjae Jaden Kim (IM, ‘25)
Allie Molin (IM, ‘25)
Fenella Nishigawara (IM, ‘24)

Media Arts
Ava Diaz (DM, ‘24)
Jasmine Diep (DM, ‘25)
Angie Wang (FTV, ‘26)

Theater
Corinne Thomas (IA, ‘24)

Vocal Music
Madison Becerra (CV, ‘25)
Summer Brennan (PM, ‘25)
Lilliana Mindel (CV, ‘24)
Chloe Ness (CV, ‘24)
Joules Recana (PM, ‘25)

The Orange County Register announced the nominees for the 2024 Artist of the Year. The program highlighted over 800 talented students from across the county, 84 of which were OCSA students:

NOMINEES

Dance
Constantin Chekardzhikov (BR, ‘24)
Gabriel Cho (BR, ‘24)
Kameron Couch (CMD, ‘25)
Violet Lopiccola (BCD, ‘24)
Avril Martinez (BF, ‘24)
Daniella Morales (BCD, ‘24)

Film and TV
Ramone Hamilton (FTV, ‘24)
Ella Lindner (FTV, ‘24)
Quentin Marino (FT, ‘24)
Diego Andres Terán (FTV, ‘24)

Fine Arts
Isabella Chiodo (VA, ‘25)
Luke Furca (VA, ‘24)
Clara Kye (VA, ‘24)
Jonathan Leanos-Villanueva (VA, ‘25)
Alex Maldonado (VA, ‘24)
Ciel Mitrovich (VA, ‘24)
Eunice Yoonsu Oh (VA, ‘24)
Claudia Tsai (VA, ‘24)
Jenny Wang (VA, ‘25)
Cindy Zhang (VA, ‘24)

Instrumental Music
Maddox Kennerson (PM, ‘25)
Damian Paul (IM, ‘24)
Aadya Sharma (IM, ‘24)

Media Arts
Violet Adams (VA, ‘24)
Rafael Carrera (DM, ‘24)
Ash Chiov (DM, ‘25)
Robert Martin (DM, ‘24)
Seito Miwa (DM, ‘25)
Fatima Nguyen (VA, ‘24)
Valerie Truc-Mai Nguyen (VA, ‘25)
Victoria Phan (DM, ‘25)
Adrian Resendiz (FTV, ‘24)
Allyn Richardson (IA, ‘24)
Alyssa Uy (VA, ‘24)
Jorryn Voegele (VA, ‘24)
Jhernice Yandoc (DM, ‘25)
Jessica Yang (IA, ‘24)

Theater
Grace Abbott (ACT, ‘24)
Chloe Deutschman (MT, ‘24)
Lukas Loza (PD, ‘24)
Hannah Osier (IA, ‘24)
Isabella Rivas (ACT, ‘24)
Levi Sternshein (ACT, ‘24)

Vocal Music
Lal Besir (CV, ‘25)
Asher Hinton (PM, ‘24)
Estella Sky Keyoung (CV, ‘25)
Hugo Nguyen (PM, ‘24)
Jeffrey Yang (CV, ‘24)

Zabethah Bagnol (PD, ‘26) was awarded both academic and achievement scholarships from Savannah College of Art and Design. Zabethah was recognized for her work with the Eco Fashion Club, which promotes awareness of the violence fashion perpetuates against our environment and humanity, as well as for her recycled dictionary dress displayed at the Bowers Museum and original work DiscriminAsian, which advocates for education regarding the prevention of violence against Asians.

Vanessa Cortez, OCSA conservatory instructor and Thespians director, received her certification in Ethnic Studies Education from the University of California, Riverside. Her achievement will help create a classroom environment that represents diverse student perspectives, produces culturally competent and global citizens, and celebrates diversity as a commitment to greater social change.

Ella He (IM, ‘27), Emma He (IM, ‘25), Katelyn Hu (BCD, ‘24), Bryce Leng (CV, ‘24), and Angel Shen (CV, ‘25) performed together at the Ninth Annual Lantern Festival at the Segerstrom Concert Hall with over 2,000 people in attendance. Katelyn and Angel performed traditional cultural dance forms as part of the Chinese Dance Company of Southern California. Emma played the Dizi (Chinese Flute), Ella played the Guzheng (Chinese Harp), and Bryce played the Erhu (Chinese Violin) with the South Coast Chinese Orchestra. They have also volunteered their time by participating in various community festivals within the greater Orange County area in the last few years.

Juneau Foxlin (IM, ‘26) won third place in the OC Marathon for his division (Male 15 & Under). He was also selected as a soloist for the September 2024 Chamber Music Series with the Los Angeles Youth Philharmonic after playing double bass in the honors orchestras for both the California Orchestra Directors Association and Southern California School Band & Orchestra Association.

Stephen Amsler (Elective Taekwondo Teacher) traveled to the Kukkiwon World Taekwondo Headquarters in Seoul, South Korea to test for his eighth-degree black belt. The process took months and involved a rigorous protocol that included a written 7,000 word thesis, a Board review of his curriculum vitae, submitting a five-hour work-out session, participating in a physical test with three Grand Master Instructors from the Board, and a video submission review from the Kukkiwon Technical Committee. Mr. Amsler successfully completed all the 8th degree black belt requirements and received Grand Master Instructor Status. There are only 305 8th degree black belts that reside in the United States – a one in a million percentile of the country’s population.

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.

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.

Bryce Leng (CV, ‘24) was featured in 2024 social media advertisements for the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA). Bryce is a standing member of the OCTA Teen Council, which builds leadership and teamwork skills through various discussions and projects. One of the main promotional videos Bryce was a part of is the Youth Ride Free program through OCTA. Watch the Reel through the following link: https://bit.ly/3yKiT3Z

Ella He (IM, ‘27), Emma He (IM, ‘25), and Bryce Leng (CV, ‘24) performed with the South Coast Chinese Orchestra at the Grammy Museum in February. This cross-cultural celebration for the Year of the Dragon marked the first time a Chinese orchestra group performed at the venue.

Emily Leo (CAH, ‘25), Max Madsen (CAH, ‘26), Tira Smith (CAH, ‘24), and Cynthia Zhou (CAH, ‘26) were crowned 2024 National Restaurant ProStart Invitational Champions in Baltimore, Maryland. They were coached by Chefs Paola Costa (Conservatory Instructor) and Daniel Mattos (Conservatory Director). The restaurant management team went up against 48 other teams from across the country and presented the winning concept of Teddy’s – a sports-centered restaurant that serves breakfast all day. Each member earned $10,000 worth of scholarships from Nationals, including other prizes such as books, journals, cutting boards, Yetis, and more. The event was also covered in an article by “Restaurant Business”, which can be read by visiting: https://bit.ly/3VeOB0T

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)

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)

Habitat for Humanity OCSA was the first student club in Orange County to be approved for a playhouse build. The custom playhouse, built and painted by OCSA students, was placed at the Boys & Girls Club of Garden Grove for children to enjoy.

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)

Orinoco Foxlin (PM, ‘29) earned multiple awards for technical theatre and vocals at the Musical Theatre Competitions of America (MTCA). She won First Place for Vocal Duet, Second Place for Middle School Costume Design, and Third Place for High School Set Design. The concept behind her set and costume designs was an alternate land of Oz where everything was made from candy – inspired in part by Hansel and Gretel.

The following OCSA Honors Chemistry students earned Fifth Place among all Orange County schools for their combined scores in the First-Year American Chemical Society (ACS) competition. They received a team plaque at the ACS banquet.

Marcello Bui (ACT, ‘26)
Juneau Foxlin (IM, ‘26) – Top Scorer
Lila Olson (IA, ‘26)
Rohan Soni (PM, ‘26)
Gloria Xiong (IA, ‘26)
Charlotte Yoh (VA, ‘26)
Lauren Young (VA, ‘26)

Sumin Cho (IM, ‘25), Micah Lai (FTV, ‘25), Matthew Martono (IM, ‘25), Liam Ramos (IM, ‘24), Joshua Ta (IA, ‘24), and Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) competed in the 2024 VEX Robotics California State Championship event. Together as Team Charles 92782A, they qualified for this event by winning the Excellence Award at an earlier tournament in their season.

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.

Leah Navarro (CV, ‘26) and Lilah Navarro (IM, ‘26) were named Petition Choir Scholars by the Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano’s Music Ministry Program. The Music Ministry Program has several music ensembles for their celebrations and raises money for scholarships like this one.

Kelly Halliburton (CW, ‘25) was selected as a Save The Children’s National Youth Champion. The National Youth Champion program is a new opportunity for young activists to make a bigger impact for kids and stay committed to making a difference in their communities. Kelly, alongside five other champions, were invited to Washington D.C. to meet with Capitol Hill lawmakers and leaders of Save The Children.

Luke Shin (VA, ‘25), Ella Tran (VA, ‘25), and Olivia Yun (VA, ‘25) were featured at the LGBTQ Center of Orange County’s annual Gala, where they created a live painting that auctioned for nearly $3,000. Fifty percent of the money raised was given to their club, Community Canvas, which aims to uplift and encapsulate the stories and cultures of underrepresented communities in Orange County through the use of murals.

Violet Adams (VA, ‘24) received a Gold Award for her work in the Girl Scouts of America. Violet was awarded this prestigious title for her leadership within her troop and for completing a project that received high remarks.

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

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.

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.

Classical - Ages 12-13; “L’ho perduta”
Keanu Ho (CV, ‘29) - Second Place
Samantha Shelly (CV, ‘29) - First Place

Classical - Age 14 (Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Treble); “The Little Horses”
Simran Goyal (CV, ‘28) - Second Place
Lubaina Habib (CV, ‘28) - Honorable Mention
Olivia Song (CV, ‘28) - First Place

Classical - Ages 14-15 (Tenor, Baritone, Bass); “Amarilli, mia bella”
Liam Posos (CV, ‘28) - Third Place
Zachary Yoshimura (CV, ‘28) - Honorable Mention

Classical - Age 15 (Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Treble); “The Year’s at the Spring”
Juliette Eitel (CV, ‘27)

Classical - Age 16 (Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Treble); “Se Florindo e fedele”
Celine Curtis (CV, ‘26) - Honorable Mention
Sydney Sublette (CV, ‘26) - Second Place

Classical - Ages 16-18 (Tenor, Baritone, Bass); “Vecchia zimarra”
William Bolin (CV, ‘24) - First Place
Henry Courney (CV, ‘26) - Honorable Mention

Classical - Ages 17-18 (Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor); “Batti, batti”
Madison Becerra (CV, ‘25) - Second Place
Tessa Espinola (ACT, ‘25) - Third Place
Eliza Tait (CV, ‘25) - Honorable Mention

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

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

OCSA’s Junior Thespian Troupe 6826 participated in the Junior Thespian Festival hosted on OCSA’s campus. All participating middle school students received Superior Thespy awards, while also receiving two Judge’s Choice Awards and one First Place title as a group. Listed below are OCSA students who won an award.

Rohan Ganesan (ACT, ‘28)
Finn Pauley-Rodriguez (ACT, ‘28)
Daniel Peters (ACT, ‘28)
Kayleigh Thompson (ACT, ‘29)
Macy Wong (IA, ‘29)

Junjin Huang (IM, ‘29) and Junyu Huang (IM, ‘29) won First Place in the 2024 Concordia Music Competition. The twin brothers played the Baroque piece “Concerto in G major for Two Violas” by J.P. Telemann.

Edward Chen (IA, ‘24) was named a 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts for demonstrating academic and artistic excellence. Having first been named a YoungArts Winner for Dance in 2023, Edward was one of just twenty students selected in 2024 as the nation’s most talented young artists.

William Bolin (CV, ‘24), Edward Chen (IA, ‘24), Amy Jong (IM, ‘24), and Jamie Jung (CW, ‘24) were selected among 625 semifinalists to advance to the final round of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholars competition.

The following OCSA students below received recognition at the 29th Annual Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival, hosted by Jazz at Lincoln Center. These students performed as part of OCSA’s Ambassador Jazz Orchestra, which was one of just 15 competition finalists chosen from schools across the nation.

Emmet Althoen (IM, ‘28) - Outstanding Piano
Samuel Chung (IM, ‘25) - Outstanding Soprano Sax
James Dechary (IM, ‘24) - Outstanding Trombone
Allison Molin (IM, ‘25) - Honorable Mention Trumpet
Ian Shin (IM, ‘24) - Outstanding Trumpet
Nathan Tatsuta (IM, ‘24) - Outstanding Piano
Emily Vu (IM, ‘24) - Honorable Mention Alto Sax

Jim Stevens (FTV, ‘06 and Elective Instructor) directed the documentary “A Fight to Save Lives” in collaboration with Magic House Anaheim and the awareness project Facing Fentanyl. The film focuses on addiction recovery and promoting awareness of the fentanyl drug crisis in the United States. Mr. Stevens’ directorial project premiered at OCSA’s FTV Winter Cineplex. Read more it here: https://bit.ly/4cbeGot

The following OCSA Taekwondo students successfully tested to higher level belts in April. Spearheaded by 8th degree black beIt Stephen Amsler (Elective Teacher), it was the largest graduation to date of OCSA students.

3rd Degree Black Belt
Chili Sloop (VA, ‘24)
Luke Stark (FTV, ‘24)

2nd Degree Black Belt
Jenna Ho (VA, ‘26)
John Kuli (ACT, ‘26)
Nikun Liu (CV, ‘26)
Eleazar Reiner (CW, ‘26)
Luke Sakurai (IM, ‘26)

1st Degree Black Belt
Milan Albert-Holty (CW, ‘25)
Roman Elson (ACT, ‘26)
Grace Fleischmann (VA, ‘25)
Jaya Gandhi (CW, ‘25)
Tristan Gude (ACT, ‘26)
Carissa Hahn (IM, ‘27)
Yein Han (CW, ‘25)
Ksena Eve Jenkins (IA, ‘26)
Micah Kay (PD, ‘26)
Brendan Knox (PM, ‘25)
Ruby Lau (CW, ‘27)
Alana Liang (CV, ‘26)
Emma Nevell (PM, ‘27)
Erica Park (FTV, ‘27)
Nino Raimondo (IA, ‘27)
Cole Schulein (CAH, ‘25)
Thomas Song (IM, ‘25)
Dylan Spence (VA, ‘26)
Amina Straughn (VA, ‘27)

Selina You (BR, ‘27) competed in the Blackpool Junior Dance Festival in England – one of the biggest competitions for Ballroom Dance in the world. She earned Fourth Place after competing in four rounds to get into the final top eight.

Lilliana Mindel (CV, ‘24) won the Schmidt Vocal Competition National Award after advancing from Regionals. She was honored with First Place out of hundreds of student singers from across the nation. Lilliana was also a recipient of the Regents Scholarship at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Regent Scholars are selected by a UCLA faculty committee on the basis of exceptional academic achievement and promise.

Ballet Folklórico Conservatory students took part in Boot Barn’s summer media campaign that included a film and photo shoot on location.

Miaad Bushala (PM, ‘21) led a class at University of California, Berkeley called Artistry and Entrepreneurship: Taylor’s Version. The course focused on the business strategies and impact of Taylor Swift. The course caught the attention of CBS who interviewed Miaad and her students about this business course. Watch the video here: https://bit.ly/4bO2WbT

Six students from Commercial Dance (CMD) were cast in Music Theatre West’s production of “42nd Street.”

Olivia Liddi (CMD, ‘26)
Makaela McCosar (CMD, ‘26)
Ariel Tello (CMD, ‘26)
Elizabeth Weber (CMD, ‘27)
Emma Rose Williams (CMD, ‘26)
Sophia Grace Williams (CMD, ‘25)

They were also featured in an article about the show: https://bit.ly/45cnbNT