Orange County’s 2026 Artist of the Year Semifinalists Announced
- Heide Janssen
- Apr 19
- 9 min read
From a pool of 888 nominees, 108 students have been named 2026 Artist of the Year semifinalists.
The next generation of Orange County artists is stepping into the spotlight.
Semifinalists for the 2026 Artist of the Year program have been announced, highlighting standout high school students working across theater, dance, instrumental music, vocal music, film and TV, fine arts and media arts.
Selected from 888 nominees, this year’s semifinalists represent a wide range of artistic voices, backgrounds and levels of training. A panel of arts educators reviewed applications, performance videos, portfolios and film samples to identify students whose work reflects both technical ability and a developing artistic point of view.
Now, the focus shifts from submission to presence.
In the semifinal round, students present their work live before panels of professional artists and college faculty from across Southern California. But the evaluation goes beyond performance. Judges engage each student in conversation – exploring not only what they create, but why.
What stories are they trying to tell? What ideas drive their work? How do they see their art connecting with a broader community? And where do they hope it will take them next?
Students are placed into two divisions based on their level of training, a structure designed to create more equitable opportunities for recognition. Those with more extensive experience compete in Division 1, while Division 2 highlights students earlier in their artistic journeys.
From the semifinalists, three finalists in each discipline will be selected, including at least one Division 2 student. One student in each category will ultimately be named a 2026 Artist of the Year.
The finalists and Artists of the Year will be announced live during an awards celebration on May 13 at the Samueli Theater, part of the Segerstrom Center for the Arts campus. The event will feature performances and presentations by top students. Admission is free, though reservations are required.
The program is supported by the Chapman University College of Performing Arts and Segerstrom Center for the Arts, with additional support from Arts Orange County and individual donors.
Resident companies Pacific Symphony and Pacific Chorale serve as award sponsors, helping provide cash awards to top students. The dance award is named in honor of Judy Morr, and Segerstrom Center sponsors the theater award.
Culture OC’s coverage of Artist of the Year is supported in part by community contributions. Readers who would like to support the program and its student artists can make a donation here: https://ocaoty2026.paperform.co/
A full list of semifinalists, along with student profiles and work samples, is available through The Orange County Register.
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The JUDY MORR AWARD FOR DANCE
Of the 107 nominees in dance for Artist of the Year, 16 students have been named semifinalists for the 2026 Judy Morr Award for Dance.
ROW 1
Ali Arambarri, Division 2, San Juan Hills High School (Photo courtesy of Steve Wylie)
Brianna Bedford, Division 2, Capistrano Valley High School (Photo courtesy of Brianna Bedford)
Aleah Crew, Division 1, Fullerton Union High School (Photo courtesy of Jane Won)
Margie Gao, Division 1, Sage Hill School (Photo courtesy of Dylan Han)
ROW 2
Rio Gomez, Division 1, Fullerton Union High School (Photo courtesy of Vince Trupsin)
Harper Hottinger, Division 1, San Juan Hills High School (Photo courtesy of Lee Gumbs)
Arabella Kim, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Seung Hee Kim)
Ella Eunji Lee, Division 1, Sunny Hills High School (Photo courtesy of Nikki Giblin)
ROW 3
Arron Myers, Division 1, Los Alamitos High School (Photo courtesy of Arron Myers)
William Oh, Division 1, JSerra Catholic High School (Photo courtesy of Claire Imler)
Ella Smallwood, Division 1, San Juan Hills High School (Photo courtesy of Alex Alba)
Devynn Smark, Division 1, San Juan Hills High School (Photo courtesy of Kathleen Smark)
ROW 4
Anthony Terricciano, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Christina Hughes)
Vivienne Tran, Division 2, Garden Grove High School (Photo courtesy of Anthony Terricciano)
Ava Woinarowicz, Division 1, Santa Margarita Catholic High School (Photo courtesy of Jordan Blais)
Cynthia Zhang, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Qing Jiang)
For access to links to their work and quotes about how they relate to their artform, go to the list of dance students at The Orange County Register.
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FILM and TV
From 67 nominees, 16 students have been selected as semifinalists for the 2026 Artist of the Year in film and TV.
ROW 1
Reef Applebaum, Division 1, Laguna Beach High School (Photo courtesy of Reef Applebaum)
Jacob Avila, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Zach Willis)
Christopher Blocher, Division 1, Los Alamitos High School (Photo courtesy of Carla Blocher)
Joyce Chang, Division 2, El Dorado High School (Photo courtesy of Paul Chang)
ROW 2
Anvi Dayal, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Anvi Dayal)
Ellie Elam, Division 1, Capistrano Valley High School (Photo courtesy of Ellie Elam)
Ryleigh Goddard, Division 1, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Chole Radtke)
Helen Han, Division 1, University High School (Photo courtesy of Helen Han)
ROW 3
Samantha Lee, Division 1, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Lauren Lee)
Otis Liu, Division 1, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Otis Liu)
Sean Massoumi, Division 2, Los Alamitos High School (Photo courtesy of Lisa Massoumi)
Sophia Caroleena Ortega Perez, Division 2, Buena Park High School (Photo courtesy of Aracely Aispuro Morales)
ROW 4
Hailey Poole, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Angela Huang)
Mercer Reilly, Division 2, Edison High School (Photo courtesy of Fallon Auger)
Skylar Snyder, Division 1, Yorba Linda High School (Photo courtesy of Araia Kersey)
Mac Ullem, Division 1, St. Margaret's Episcopal School (Photo courtesy of Rian Otto)
For access to quotes about how they relate to their artform, go to the list of film and TV students at The Orange County Register.
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FINE ARTS
Selected from 164 nominees, 15 students have been named semifinalists for the 2026 Artist of the Year in fine arts.
ROW 1
Lucius Acker, Division 1, Esperanza High School (Photo courtesy of Lucius Acker)
Emma Byun, Division 1, Crean Lutheran High School (Photo courtesy of Yoon Choi)
Amanda Chi, Division 1, El Toro High School (Photo courtesy of Amanda Chi)
Reshan Harris, Division 1, Capistrano Valley High School (Photo courtesy of Ashini Harris)
ROW 2
Zoe Ji, Division 1, Fairmont Preparatory Academy (Photo courtesy of Rachel Xiong)
Lena Ko, Division 1, Fairmont Preparatory Academy (Photo courtesy of Lauren Ko)
Mal Lake, Division 1, Valencia High School (Photo courtesy of Yun Hong)
Angel Jia Yi Luan, Division 2, Fairmont Preparatory Academy (Photo courtesy of Yang Liu)
ROW 3
April Ma, Division 1, St. Margaret's Episcopal School (Photo courtesy of April Ma)
Sky Park, Division 1, Corona del Mar High School (Photo courtesy of Joshua Park)
Paris Sharp, Division 1, Portola High School (Photo courtesy of Paris Sharp)
Damian Slavkov, Division 2, Valencia High School (Photo courtesy of Camian Slavkov)
ROW 4
Ella Shu Wang, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Ella Shu Wang)
Katelyn Wong, Division 1, Portola High School (Photo courtesy of Songyi Park)
Junting Zhang, Division 1, Portola High School (Photo courtesy of Paris Sharp)
For access to links to their work and quotes about how they relate to their artform, go to the list of fine arts students at The Orange County Register.
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The Pacific Symphony Award for INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
Sixteen student musicians have been named semifinalists for the 2026 Pacific Symphony Award for Instrumental Music, selected from a pool of 130 nominees.
ROW 1
Casey Cunningham, tenor, alto and baritone sax, Division 2, Yorba Linda High School (Photo courtesy of Maddisen Miller)
Richard Feng, piano, Division 1, St. Margaret's Episcopal School (Photo courtesy of Rian Otto)
Gracie Fox, drumset, Division 1, El Dorado High School (Photo courtesy of Deanne Fox)
Andrea Freeman, violin, Division 2, Santa Margarita Catholic High School (Photo courtesy of Ani Freeman)
ROW 2
Naomi Gesk, harp, Division 1, University High School (Photo courtesy of David Gesk)
Kelly Hunter, bass, Division 1, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (Photo courtesy of Darby McDonald)
Kayla Kim, viola, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Kyungsoo Kim)
Mattea Kim, cello, Division 1, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Marian Chen)
ROW 3
Wei-Ning Isabella Ko, piano, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Linda Wei)
Jack Lewis, Bb trumpet Division 1, El Dorado High School (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Lewis)
Verena Lo, cello, Division 1, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Verena Lo)
Robert Ramirez, composing, Division 1, Woodbridge High School (Photo courtesy of Tiffany Ramirez)
ROW 4
Rachel Won, violin, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Rena Yang)
George Xie, piano, Division 1, Northwood High School (Photo courtesy of George Xie)
Sean Yu, clarinet, Division 1, Northwood High School (Photo courtesy of Sean Yu)
Celine Zhu, piano, Division 1, Tarbut V'Torah (Photo courtesy of Emma Qin)
For access to links to their work and quotes about how they relate to their artform, go to the list of instrumental music students at The Orange County Register.
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MEDIA ARTS
From a field of 79 nominees, 13 students have been named semifinalists for the 2026 Artist of the Year in media arts.
ROW 1
Shiloh Ahrens, Division 1, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Shiloh Ahrens)
Eli Caro, Division 1, Westminster High School (Photo courtesy of Eli Caro)
Alex Cartagena, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Alex Cartagena)
Victoria Quynh Vy Dinh, Division 2, Corona del Mar High School (Photo courtesy of Sharee Dinh)
Kai Fishburn, Division 2, Portola High School (Photo courtesy of Kai Fishburn)
ROW 2
Claire Garling, Division 1, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Claire Garling)
Makenzie Ho, Division 1, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Paloma Figueroa)
Gavriella Krause, Division 1, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Dianny Pichardo)
Keven Morales, Division 1, Buena Park High School (Photo courtesy of Josh Himbury)
Angela Nguyen, Division 2, Magnolia High School (Photo courtesy of Angela Nguyen)
ROW 3
Evelyn Nguyen, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Evelyn Nguyen)
Sarah Trinh, Division 1, El Dorado High School (Photo courtesy of Michelle Trinh)
Eva Zhang, Division 1, Fairmont Preparatory Academy (Photo courtesy of Wei Jiang)
For access to links to their work and quotes about how they relate to their artform, go to the list of media arts students at The Orange County Register.
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The Segerstrom Center for the Arts Award for THEATER
From 220 nominees in theater, 16 students have been selected as Artist of the Year semifinalists for the 2026 Segerstrom Center for the Arts Award for Theater.
ROW 1
Nathan Andreas, Division 1, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (Photo courtesy of Micheal Dorney)
Isabella Bassett, Division 1, San Juan Hills High School (Photo courtesy of Steve Wylie)
Maddie Dasilva, Division 1, Capistrano Valley High School (Photo courtesy of Maddie Dasilva)
Maria Espinosa Ventura, Division 2, Tesoro High School (Photo courtesy of Sandra Ventura Hernandez)
ROW 2
Shylan Fernandez, Division 1, San Juan Hills High School (Photo courtesy of Steve Wylie)
Helen Han, Division 1, University High School (Photo courtesy of Helen Han)
Benjamin Stephen Marshall, Division 1, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (Photo courtesy of Izabella Vosper)
Isaiah Medina, Division 1, Tesoro High School (Photo courtesy of Tracy Rinehart)
ROW 3
Daniela Nieto, Division 2, Garden Grove High School (Photo courtesy of Daniela Nieto)
Madeleine Orozco, Division 1, Santa Margarita Catholic High School (Photo courtesy of Steve Wylie)
ChloeLux Phan, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Trina Curci)
Michaela Rosen, Division 1, Capistrano Valley High School (Photo courtesy of Millie Rosen)
ROW 4
Gavin Shams, Division 1, St. Margaret's Episcopal School (Photo courtesy of Rian Otto)
Nathan Song, Division 1, Yorba Linda High School (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Rue)
Bianca Stratta, Division 1, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (Photo courtesy of Izabella Vosper)
Caitlyn Willoughby, Division 2, Tesoro High School (Photo courtesy of Jesse Madison)
For access to links to their work and quotes about how they relate to their artform, go to the list of theater students at The Orange County Register.
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The Pacific Chorale Award for VOCAL MUSIC
From a field of 121 nominees, 16 students have been named Artist of the Year semifinalists for the 2026 Pacific Chorale Award for Vocal Music
ROW 1
Isabel Calvo, Division 1, Private Instructor Melissa Lyons (Photo courtesy of Steve Wylie)
Chloe Grace Chen, Division 1, Portola High School (Photo courtesy of Chloe Grace Chen)
Ava Gange-Brown, Division 1, Tesoro High School (Photo courtesy of Steve Wylie)
Reese Guenther-Clark, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Lynda Guenther)
ROW 2
Erica Lee, Division 1, Valencia High School (Photo courtesy of Hyobin Lim)
Zoe McLaughlin, Division 1, Fullerton Union High School (Photo courtesy of Kayla Monson)
Libby Rue, Division 1, Santa Margarita Catholic High School (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Rue)
Addison Shay, Division 1, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (Photo courtesy of Celeste Schoonbeck)
ROW 3
Lexie Shehab, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Owen Ramos)
Bella Tafua, Division 1, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (Photo courtesy of Bella Tafua)
Nava Tate, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Naomie Worrell)
Giuliana Torquato, Division 2, University High School (Photo courtesy of Edna Torquato)
ROW 4
Rebecca Lilliana Vu, Division 2, Santa Ana High School (Photo courtesy of Haniel Guerrero)
Lavinia Watkins, Division 1, Private Instructor Milena Kitic (Photo courtesy of Lavinia Watkins)
Charlie Woffinden, Division 1, Tesoro High School (Photo courtesy of Christy LeBlanc)
Leila Woodward, Division 1, Private Instructor Kathleen Martin (Photo courtesy of Heidi Sublette)
For access to links to their work and quotes about how they relate to their artform, go to the list of vocal music students at The Orange County Register.
