The Orange County Register announced the nominees for its annual OC Artist of the Year awards this past week, and 101 came from CUSD high schools across the seven categories.
Originally created as a companion to Register’s long-standing annual high school Athlete of the Year honors, this program honors top junior and senior artists in Orange County as nominated by their arts teachers.
Students are nominated by arts teachers and private instructors in seven different disciplines: theater, dance, film and TV, vocal music, instrumental music, media arts and fine arts.
Following this initial nomination, a panel of arts educators narrows down the lists and chooses 16 semifinalists in each discipline to move on to a round of in-person interviews with arts professionals and arts faculty from Orange County universities. The semifinalists will be announced on April 20. The top finalists and Artist of the Year for each discipline will be announced on April 27.
On Wednesday, May 7 at 5:30 p.m., an awards ceremony will be held in Memorial Hall on the Chapman University campus where the top seven students will perform and present their work. This celebration is free and open to the public.
Congratulations to all of the nominees!
| Name | School |
| DANCE | |
| Kaileigh Benvenuto | Capistrano Valley |
| Marrin Byrd | Capistrano Valley |
| Ashley Hall | San Juan Hills |
| Delila Kooiman | Capistrano Valley |
| Molly McCabe | San Juan Hills |
| Sienna Morley | Capistrano Valley |
| Emma Shimizu | Capistrano Valley |
| Ella Smallwood | San Juan Hills |
| Devynn Smark | San Juan Hills |
| Melania J. Velazquez | San Juan Hills |
| FILM & TV | |
| Lincoln Cole | Capistrano Valley |
| Main Ghanavat | Capistrano Valley |
| INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC | |
| Ceren Altintas | Capistrano Valley |
| Evan Brusky | Aliso Niguel |
| Aden Chen | Tesoro |
| Sawyer Damron | Tesoro |
| Tristan Espinoza | Aliso Niguel |
| Myles Fryling | Tesoro |
| Aidan Garcia | Capistrano Valley |
| Tea Grimberg | Capistrano Valley |
| Ayan Sursahani | Aliso Niguel |
| Surina Hue | Capistrano Valley |
| Samuel Lee | Capistrano Valley |
| Evelyn Man | Aliso Niguel |
| Aaron Marana | Tesoro |
| Jackson Olsen | Tesoro |
| Hannah Ratanapratum | Capistrano Valley |
| Katherine Tran | Aliso Niguel |
| Jaiden Vinh | Capistrano Valley |
| VOCAL MUSIC | |
| Delaney Cicon | Capistrano Valley |
| Hailey Anne Curtis | Tesoro |
| Sawyer Damron | Tesoro |
| Lila Devine | Tesoro |
| Emerson Donnellan | San Clemente |
| Ava Gange-Brown | Tesoro |
| Karina Aliza Hutchinson | San Clemente |
| Magda Afra Loreto | Capistrano Valley |
| Bee Mathewson | Tesoro |
| Isaiah Medina | Tesoro |
| Jaden Michota | Capistrano Valley |
| Mia Muscarella | Tesoro |
| Jenna Mazen Radwan | Tesoro |
| Duilio Ramirez | San Clemente |
| Alex Santos | Tesoro |
| Taylor Storie | Capistrano Valley |
| Will Turner | San Clemente |
| Yaaziel Olivo Vargas Villalba | Capistrano Valley |
| Aubrey Vaughan | Capistrano Valley |
| Brooke Walker | Tesoro |
| THEATER | |
| Carson Adams | Aliso Niguel |
| Zacharia Alweheiby | Tesoro |
| Bell Basalla | Dana Hills |
| Isabella Bassett | San Juan Hills |
| Aurora Biriba | Tesoro |
| Ariel Christensen | Aliso Niguel |
| Ryan Cochrun | San Clemente |
| Ella Corinne Corbridge | San Clemente |
| Dylan Droege | Capistrano Valley |
| Thelo du Halgouet | San Clemente |
| Luke Dunphy | San Juan Hills |
| Lani Earley | Dana Hills |
| Addison Engelken | Tesoro |
| Ace Etienne | Aliso Niguel |
| Lindsey Garrel | Tesoro |
| Mason Haydon | San Juan Hills |
| Grace Holley | San Juan Hills |
| Olivia Irwin | Aliso Niguel |
| Abby Jacobs | Tesoro |
| Dylan Johnson | San Clemente |
| Ellie Kim | Capistrano Valley |
| Teya Linde | Dana Hills |
| Sydney McCleave | Capistrano Valley |
| Meadow McGee | Tesoro |
| Gwendolyn Nishti | San Juan Hills |
| Mars O’Kane | Dana Hills |
| Leo Perry | San Juan Hills |
| Hailey Poirier | Capistrano Valley |
| Emalia Mae Probert | San Clemente |
| Vanessa Roselli | San Juan Hills |
| Millie Rosen | Capistrano Valley |
| Avery Santore | San Clemente |
| April Simpson | Aliso Niguel |
| Mia Smith | San Clemente |
| Emma Rose Somers | San Juan Hills |
| Lauren Swan | Capistrano Valley |
| Odie Thomas | Dana Hills |
| Caitlyn Willoughby | Tesoro |
| Clayton Wittman | San Juan Hills |
| FINE ARTS | |
| Shayan Amini-Nejad | Capistrano Valley |
| Kayden Braman | Capistrano Valley |
| Aubrey DeLeon | Capistrano Valley |
| Ashley Luciano | Capistrano Valley |
| Liam Xavier Eversz Nordrum | Capistrano Valley |
| Sophia Rodriguez | Capistrano Valley |
| Dylan Tam | Dana Hills |
| MEDIA ARTS | |
| Rachel (Redd) Arce | Capistrano Valley |
| Katlan (Milo) Granados | Capistrano Valley |
| Joel Johnson | Capistrano Valley |
| Simona Krucek | Capistrano Valley |
| Mikey Schwartz | Capistrano Valley |
| Tessa Michelle Wren | Capistrano Valley |