OCSA Season Premiere 2023

Welcome to Our Eighth Annual Season Premiere

We are thrilled to welcome you to our special season kick-off event, presented by the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) Foundation!

Get ready for a stunning evening featuring the talented student artists of OCSA’s celebrated performance group, MONTAGE!, and select members of The Garn Family Jazz Studies Program, performing alongside esteemed alumni master artists.

Sit back, relax, and enjoy tonight’s high-energy celebration of music, song, dance, and more!

Artisan Rolls

Whipped Creamy Butter

SALAD

Heirloom Beet Spinach Salad

Baby Spinach & Arugula, Roasted Heirloom Beets, California Citrus, Toasted Pine Nuts, Goat Cheese, Maple Vinaigrette

ENTRÉE

Prime New York Strip Steak & Chilean Sea Bass

Mushroom Risotto, Grilled Asparagus, Braising Wine Reduction, Madeira & Port Glaze

DESSERT

Valrhona Milk Chocolate Dome

Caramel Crème Brûlée Center, Chocolate Cake, Marble Cigar, Fresh Strawberry, Viola Flower

-Alternating With-

Blackberry Coconut Cheesecake

Coconut Cheesecake, Blackberry Compote, Blackberry Coulis, Almond Tuile

Coffee & Tea Service

Special Thank You To Our

SKYLINE TABLE SPONSORS

Chapman University

Dr. Gretchen and Mr. Jim Conroy

Carole Pickup / Balboa Bay Resort

Marcia and Logan Roy

The Sternshein Family

SUNSET TABLE SPONSORS

The Abiera, Mason, Vetica, and Weber Families

The Belmer and Burge Families

City National Bank

Lamia Gabal (Shehab), M.D.

Dr. Kimberley Lakes and Dr. James Kay

Cheryl and Michael Laven

The Malo Family

Dr. Sal and Jennie Maya Family Foundation

The McCollum-Van Hoosear and Schulein Families

MWA Luxury, Inc.

Tita Nguyen and Michael Le

Lee and Dave Runnels

Kim and Bert Tavares

Russ and Liz Turner

University of California, Irvine

EVENT UNDERWRITERS

Scott and Cherie Emigh

Farmers & Merchants Bank

Samueli Foundation

Ling and Charlie Zhang

PERFORMANCE UNDERWRITERS

Albert and Miaad Bushala

The Herthel Family

Sheppard Mullin

SPECIAL THANKS

The Herman Family

Sponsors current as of August 30, 2023

Honorary Producer

Carole Pickup

Season Sponsors

Event Sponsor

STUDENT PERFORMERS

The Garn Family Jazz Studies Combo

Nicholas Doan, Bass

Danny Lee, Drum Set

Nathan Tatsuta, Piano MONTAGE!

Amy Aoki

Jonathan Archer

Johann Avenido

Jacob Barton

Isabella Betancourt

Isabella Both

Miranda Brockway

Aaron Chang

Ally Cheung

Casey Cheung

Gabriella D’Ambra

Samantha Dejbakhsh

Jordan Eskenazi

Caitlin Francisco

Guinevere Gale

Michael Garay

Charis Githuka-Ngige

Sadie Guerrero

Ashley Guo

Nathan Han

Claire Harmsen

Ava Hill

Asher Hinton

Ella Jerrier

Joleane Jewell

Jaidyn Johns

Kaili Kester

Elise Kim

Lauren Kimball

Brendan Knox

Kelly Li

Maya Loureiro

David Lyons

Logan Macy

Madeline Malo

Angelina Militante

Jonathan Mizrahi

Brady Moore

Sarah Moore

Celine Ngo

Hugo Nguyen

Abriella Nicolalde

Sebastian Padilla

Alyssa Park

Jade Park

Brandon Paul

Daniel Peters

Ava Recana

Joules Recana

Taylor Roscoe

Piper Rovsek

Alexandria Shehab

Ella Sheppard

Amanda So

Sydney Sublette

Erin Tardibuono

Leyla Ton

Natalie Tseng

Liya Wilson

Hayden Yu

Susan Egan Musical Theatre, 1988

Susan Egan is a critically acclaimed actress, singer, and dancer, best known for her Tony Award-nominated performance as the original ‘Belle’ in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Susan has starred in various Broadway shows and won critical acclaim as ‘Sally Bowles’ in Cabaret. She has also starred in award-winning independent films and national television shows, as well as voiced leading characters in several animated features such as Disney’s Hercules (Meg) and Spirited Away (Lin).

Susan has headlined with more than 60 symphony orchestras worldwide, including return engagements at the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center. Susan is an executive producer of Disney Princess – The Concert, and, with partner Adam J. Levy, a founding partner of 10th & Main Productions (named after OCSA!), which just presented Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Concert at the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to being a graduate of OCSA’s Musical Theatre Conservatory, class of 1988, Susan spent a year as Interim Artistic Director shortly after OCSA moved to Santa Ana.

Adam J. Levy

Musical Theatre, 2012

Adam J. Levy is a prolific actor and singer currently in Broadway’s Moulin Rouge and was last seen in the first national tour of Waitress. He has also performed alongside symphony orchestras across the nation, including the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center and the New York Philharmonic at David Geffen Hall.

Adam has worked with Disney Concerts as a Creative Producer on hit shows Disney Princess – The Concert, Encanto: The Sing-Along Film Concert, and most recently, Walt Disney Animation Studios: The Concert at the Hollywood Bowl alongside the Los Angeles Philharmonic. He is a founding partner of 10th & Main Productions along with partner, friend, and fellow OCSA alum Susan Egan. Adam is a proud graduate of OCSA’s Musical Theatre Conservatory, class of 2012.

SPECIAL THANKS TO THESE TALENTED ALUMNI MASTER ARTISTS FOR PERFORMING WITH AND GIVING BACK TO OCSA STUDENTS AT THIS YEAR’S SEASON PREMIERE!

SEASON PREMIERE EVENT TEAMS

Creative & Production Team

Cindy Peca, Creative Director & Producer

Michael Von Hoffman, Director of Special Event Productions

Melissa Wackerman, Music Director

Jacob Piattoni (CMD, ‘18), Choreographer & Creative Team Associate

Gavin Thrasher, Vocal Director

Patrick Copeland, Conductor & Arranger

Benjamin Rauhala, Composer & Arranger

John Reynolds, D.M.A., Jazz Combo Director

Alex Padilla (PD, ‘18), Production Coordinator

Jake Jacobs, Band Director

Julia Rudge (CMD, ‘16), Choreographer & Dance Captain

Quinn Olesiuk, Foundation & Creative Team Jr. Associate

Development & Special Events Team

Elizabeth Ton (MT, ‘95), Vice President of Development

Jamie Schofield, Sr. Director of Special Events

Anna Belmer Jackson (MT, ‘13), Director of Individual Giving

Greg McCollum, Director of Business & Corporate Relations

Katie Perry Page (MT, ‘11), Development Manager

Ria Hall (ACT, ‘12), Special Events Associate

Communications Team

Kelly Andrews, Vice President of Communications

Amanda Blazey, Director of Marketing

Julia Gutierrez, Director of Public Relations

Ricky Mesina, Sr. Graphic Designer Anel Cantu, Graphic Designer

Staci Berrey, Marketing Associate

Autumn Dixon, Marketing & Public Relations Associate

Darren Bautista, Marketing Jr. Associate

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP & BOARDS

School Leadership

Teren Shaffer, President & CEO

Steven Wagner, Chief Operations Officer

School Administration

Michael Ciecek, Principal

Kimberly Barraza Lyons, Ph.D., Assistant Principal of Instruction

Becca Freeland, Assistant Principal of Student Services

Maria Lazarova, D.M.A., Assistant Principal of Arts

Abbe Levine, Assistant Principal of Student Supervision

Lauren Reynolds, Director of Special Services

Shelley Stanphill, Learning Specialist

Foundation Board of Directors Officers

Jason Herthel, Chair

Teren Shaffer, President & CEO

Jennifer Sternshein, Secretary

Kevin Tiber, Treasurer

Hon. Halim Dhanidina (Ret.), Board of Trustees Representative

Eoin L. Kreditor, J.D., Vice Chair, Legacy Giving

Kimberley Lakes, Ph.D., Vice Chair, Human Capital

Michael Laven, Vice Chair, Finance

Lisa Argyros

Jim Bergman

Lisa Brennan

Albert Bushala

Bruce E. Chapman

Jim Conroy

Julia Feldman

Lamia Gabal, M.D.

Bryan Giglia

Directors

Gillian Hayes, Ph.D.

Steven Ho

Martin Howard

Jennie

Lynn Johanson-Maya

Patricia Juarez

Michael Le, M.D.

Lee Runnels

Don Steiner

Christine Walker-Bowman

Board of Trustees

Officers

Vincent Foley, Jr., Chair

Paul Satkin, Secretary

Members

Hon. Halim Dhanidina (Ret.)

Jessica Herthel

Gary Humphreys

Emeritus Board

Julia Argyros

John Daniels

Sandy Segerstrom Daniels

Mohamed El-Erian

Brad Ellis, J.D.

Paul Folino

Maria Newkirk Fong

John Gates

Carol Green

Jerry Mandel

Michal Mekjian, Jr.

James “Walkie” Ray

Judy Sabbagh

Susan Samueli, Ph.D.

Janice Frey Smith

Kate St. Clair

Russell Stern

John Vestri

Scott Woolsey

In Memoriam

Doug Garn

Sebastian Paul Musco

Lew Webb

SUSAN EGAN (MT, ‘98)

Tony Award-nominated actress, singer, and dancer; best known for originating the role of ‘Belle’ in Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast

PAUL FRANK

Renowned artist, fashion designer, and cartoonist; best known for his apparel company, Paul Frank Industries, and his iconic monkey illustration, Julius

ADASSA

Versatile urban reggaeton singer and voice actor; her voice can be heard in Disney’s Encanto as the

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ADAM J. LEVY (MT, ‘12)

Broadway actor known for his performances in Moulin Rouge, in the First National Tour of Waitress, and as the original ‘Prince’ in Broadway Princess Party

AIMEE BENDER

New York Times best-selling author of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, The Girl in the Flammable Skirt, and Willful Creatures

DANA

Experienced dancer and choreographer who has worked with Justin Timberlake since 2007 and choreographed for Miley Cyrus and The Backstreet Boys

THOMAS

Henry A. Upper Chair of Orchestral Conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music; Principal Conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra

HANS

Founder and CEO of Tenikle; appeared on Shark Tank, allowing him to grow his DIY project into a multi-million dollar venture

JAMES MONROE IGLEHART

Tony Award-winning stage actor, singer, and writer; best known for his performance as ‘Genie’ in the original Broadway production of Aladdin

IAROSLAV & LILIIA BIELIEI

Championship-winning ballroom dancers and instructors; directors and producers of the premier dance show KOLO, which shares their Ukrainian heritage

Composer for film and television; Home Sweet Home, Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, and the opera Trial of God

ANNELIESE VAN DER POL (MT, ‘02)

Television and stage performer; best known as ‘Chelsea’ in That’s So Raven and as the final ‘Belle’ in Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast

SIMON WELLS

Director of animated and live action movies; known for directing The Prince of Egypt and an adaptation of his great-grandfather’s book, The Time Machine

ANNA AIMEE WHITE (MT, ‘02)

Dynamic performer and choreographer; has starred in musicals such as Chicago and choreographed for television shows such as The Goldbergs

ISABELLE MCCALLA

Esteemed actor, singer, and original cast member of The Prom on Broadway; has also starred as ‘Jasmine’ in Broadway’s Aladdin

Acclaimed animator, director, and screenwriter; won an Academy Award and a BAFTA for co-directing Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio

WILSON

DOSE

WILKINS

OCSA ALUM

OCSA ALUM

MARK GUSTAFSON

OCSA ALUM

SYNDEE WINTERS

Broadway actress and recording artist; known for her performance as ‘Nala’ in The Lion King, as well as for her roles in Hamilton

ORANGE COUNTY SCHOOL OF THE ARTS FOUNDATION

2023 2024

BENJAMIN RAUHALA

Trusted Broadway music director for Ariana DeBose, Krysta Rodriguez, and many others; co-creator of Disney Princess – The Concert

PAUL BECKER

Sought-after choreographer of more than 300 films and television shows; has developed stage productions for the Jonas Brothers, Pitbull, and more

Award-winning animator, storyboard artist, and director; creator of the Disney Channel animated series Amphibia and director of Gravity Falls

PHIL KAYE

Innovative poet whose work has been viewed millions of times online and featured in The New Yorker and at the New York Museum of Modern Art

AMY CHAPMAN (MT, ‘04)

Certified speech and language pathologist and renowned vocal coach; has worked with numerous Grammy Award-winning artists and Broadway stars

JARED GERTNER

Broadway and television actor; best known for his role as ‘Elder Cunningham’ in The Book of Mormon on Broadway, in the First National Tour, and in London

ELISE BRYANT

NAACP Image Award-nominated author; best known for her works Happily Ever Afters, One True Loves, and Reggie and Delilah’s Year of Falling

NATHAN GUNN

Grammy Award-winning opera singer and actor; has appeared at prominent opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera and San Francisco Opera

director; has performed in many of the world’s most prestigious recital series, including at the Sydney Opera House

JOHN CARNAHAN Director of Bands and Professor of Conducting at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at CSULB; conductor of the University Wind Symphony

JACOB SUSTAITA, D.M.A.

Assistant Conductor for Pacific Symphony and Music Director and Conductor for Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra

OCSA ALUM