Semifinalists Announced for Orange County's 2025 Artist of the Year Awards
- Heide Janssen
- Apr 20
- 9 min read
From the pool of 923 nominees this season, 112 students named as semifinalists.
The Artist of the Year semifinalists for 2025 have been announced, marking the 12th anniversary of this program.
For each discipline – theater, dance, instrumental music, vocal music, film and TV, fine arts and media arts – 16 semifinalists were chosen, 112 in total, by a panel of arts teachers from among 923 nominees based on applications, performance videos, art portfolios, film samples and artistic résumés.
The semifinalists are invited to present their art forms in person to a panel of judges comprised of artistic professionals and faculty members from Southern California colleges. Along with showcasing the students' talents, the interviews also include conversations with each student in order to learn about the artistic impulses of each student: Why do they create their art? What ideas are they trying to convey? How are they growing in their art form? How are they trying to interact with and have an impact on their community through their art? As they look to the future, what do they want to do next as an artist?
Students are represented in two divisions, based on the number of years of training a student has in their art form. For instance, instrumental students with five or more years of training in school and in private lessons are placed in division 1, and students with less than 5 years of training are placed in division 2. A minimum of two division 2 students are guaranteed to be invited to be semifinalists in each discipline.
From these groups, five top students will be chosen in each discipline – four finalists plus an Artist of the Year. They will be announced next Sunday, April 27 online and in print in a special section of The Orange County Register.
On Wednesday, May 7 at 5:30 p.m., an awards celebration will be held at Memorial Hall on the campus of Chapman University and is free and open to the public. This event will include performances and presentations by the top students.
This program is sponsored by The Orange County Register, Chapman University College of Performing Arts and Segerstrom Center for the Arts, with additional support provided by Arts Orange County and individual donors. If you would like to support Artist of the Year with a donation, you can contribute here.
To view the list of semifinalists that includes quotes from the students about their work and links to their performances and portfolios, go to the stories posted by The Orange County Register.
To view the list of 923 nominees see our previous story: "Orange County's Rising Stars: 12th Annual Artist of the Year Nominees Revealed."
Below, we have listed the names, divisions and schools for the semifinalists in the seven arts disciplines.
GO TO:
DANCE
ROW 1
Clara Lynn Cestone, Division 1, Santa Margarita Catholic High School (Photo courtesy of Nicole Cestone)
Kameron Couch, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Gail Bowman)
Rio Gomez, Division 1, Fullerton Union High School (Photo courtesy of Vince Truspin)
Carissa Hsu, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Skye Varga)
ROW 2
Delila Kooiman, Division 1, Capistrano Valley High School (Photo courtesy of David Wiskowski)
Dani Lopez, Division 2, Costa Mesa High School (Photo courtesy of Dani Lopez)
Landon Mariano, Division 1, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (Photo courtesy of Charles Mariano)
Merce Meynardie, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of JoLee Adamich)
ROW 3
Alyssa Park, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of JoLee Chou)
Megan Park, Division 1, Valencia High School (Photo courtesy of Megan Park)
Arianna Ramirez, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Martha Lemus)
Piper Rovsek, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Gail Bowman)
ROW 4
Bella Rose Silva, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Vince Truspin)
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)
Melania J. Velazquez, Division 2, San Juan Hills High School (Photo courtesy of Cathy Cunningham)
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
ROW 1
Aracely Aispuro Morales, Division 2, Buena Park High School (Photo courtesy of Sophia Ortega)
Chase W. Bennett, Division 1, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (Photo courtesy of Jasyn Chiuppi)
Nelan Castillo, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Timothy Okajima)
JD Cavalluzzi, Division 1, El Dorado High School (Photo courtesy of Owen Switzer)
ROW 2
James Conlee, Division 1, El Dorado High School (Photo courtesy of James Conlee)
Bendicio Gonzalez, Division 2, Fairmont Preparatory Academy (Photo courtesy of Valentino Kitchen)
Kyle Hero Kim, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Ethan Chu)
Yeonwoo Kim, Division 1, Crean Lutheran High School (Photo courtesy of Hyesun Lee)
ROW 3
Isabella Kira, Division 1, Los Alamitos High School (Photo courtesy of Luke Sanchez)
Micah Lai, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Timothy Okajima)
Isabel Langer, Division 1, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (Photo courtesy of Isabel Langer)
Jacob Pascual, Division 1, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Jacob Pascual)
ROW 4
Luke Sanchez, Division 1, Los Alamitos High School (Photo courtesy of Lance Sanchez)
Noah Villanueva, Division 1, Northwood High School (Photo courtesy of Jane Wu)
Kyan T. Whiten, Division 1, Los Alamitos High School (Photo courtesy of Luke Sanchez)
Abby Zidonis, Division 1, Los Alamitos High School (Photo courtesy of Abby Zidonis)
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.
GO TO:
FINE ARTS
ROW 1
Carmen Arneson, Division 2, Valencia High School (Photo courtesy of Briana Negrete)
Grace Fleischmann, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Megan Ward-Baranyay)
Mick Inrig, Division 1, Orange Lutheran High School (Photo courtesy of Jula Inrig)
Eujin Kim, Division 1, Valencia High School (Photo courtesy of Eujin Kim)
ROW 2
Alexis Lee, Division 1, Crean Lutheran High School (Photo courtesy of June Lee)
Angela Liu, Division 1, St. Margaret's Episcopal School (Photo courtesy of Lihui Sang)
Ruijie (Lucy) Liu, Division 1, Crean Lutheran High School (Photo courtesy of Ziyi (Cindy) Zhao)
Ximena Lopez-Hernandez, Division 2, Valencia High School (Photo courtesy of Ximena Lopez-Hernandez)
ROW 3
Sophia Tang Nagel, Division 1, University High School (Photo courtesy of Connie Tang)
Cici Pan, Division 1, Crean Lutheran High School (Photo courtesy of Jinhong Lin)
Claire Jaeyoon Park, Division 1, Crean Lutheran High School (Photo courtesy of Junghwa Hong)
Mary Jane Pfaff, Division 1, Orange Lutheran High School (Photo courtesy of Mary Jane Pfaff)
ROW 4
Katie Rentch, Division 1, Esperanza High School (Photo courtesy of Amy Rentch)
Jane Ryu, Division 1, Portola High School (Photo courtesy of Jane Ryu)
Kayla Stephens, Division 2, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Kayla Stephens)
Helen Zhang, Division 1, Crean Lutheran High School (Photo courtesy of Helen Zhang)
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.
GO TO:
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
ROW 1
Amicus Carrasco, Division 2, Portola High School (Photo courtesy of Heidi Carrasco)
Jaxon Cunningham, Division 1, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (Photo courtesy of Cathy Poe-Cunningham)
Albert Guerra, Division 2, Santa Ana High School (Photo courtesy of Albert Guerra)
Amy Lantz, Division 1, University High School (Photo courtesy of Amy Lantz)
ROW 2
Daniel Lee, Division 1, Crean Lutheran High School (Photo courtesy of Daniel Lee)
Jiyu Lee, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Kayla Lee)
Rubi Lee, Division 1, Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra (Photo courtesy of Jenny Kim)
Alvina Lin, Division 1, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Yiwen Chen)
ROW 3
Allie Molin, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Ulrika Molin)
Jackson Olsen, Division 1, Tesoro High School (Photo courtesy of Kevin Homma)
Hayden Park, Division 1, Private Instructor Judy Huang (Photo courtesy of Hayden Park)
Justin Kwak Park, Division 1, Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra (Photo courtesy of Sang-Il Park)
ROW 4
Oooju Robinson, Division 1, Woodbridge High School (Photo courtesy of Oooju Robinson)
Alyssa Eri Snow, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Alyssa Eri Snow)
David Wong, Division 1, Private Instructor Kathy Oh (Photo courtesy of Chiko Wong)
Kyle Yeung, Division 1, Pacific Academy (Photo courtesy of Olivia Wong)
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
ROW 1
Alyssa Abernethy, Division 1, El Dorado High School (Photo courtesy of Joanne Abernethy)
Shiloh Ahrens, Division 1, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Zoe Ahrens)
Ella Arevalos, Division 1, Valencia High School (Photo courtesy of Ella Arevalos)
Yu-Ru Chen, Division 1, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Audrey Brown)
ROW 2
Ash Chiou, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Audrey Chiou)
K. R. D-B, Division 1, La Habra High School (Photo courtesy of David Edwards)
Jasmine Diep, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Anneliese Diep)
Kailey Grandes, Division 1, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Zoey Grandes)
ROW 3
Leah Ariana Hernandez, Division 2, Orange High School (Photo courtesy of Leah Ariana Hernandez)
Joseph Jimenez, Division 1, La Habra High School (Photo courtesy of David Edwards)
Jennifer (Doyeon) Kim, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Misook Jung)
Kirsten Kim, Division 1, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Kirsten Kim)
ROW 4
Davyn Lee, Division 1, Portola High School (Photo courtesy of Davyn Lee)
Keven Morales, Division 2, Buena Park High School (Photo courtesy of Keven Morales)
Valerie Truc-Mai Nguyen, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Valerie Truc-Mai Nguyen)
Rushil V. Patel, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Jay Parmar)
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.
GO TO:
THEATER
ROW 1
Nathan Andreas, Division 1, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (Photo courtesy of Jayden Stock)
Taven Blanke, Division 1, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (Photo courtesy of Taven Blanke)
Laurel Penny Brookhyser, Division 1, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (Photo courtesy of Mike Dorney)
Isabel Calvo, Division 1, Fullerton Union High School (Photo courtesy of Isabel Calvo)
ROW 2
JD Cavalluzzi, Division 1, El Dorado High School (Photo courtesy of Owen Switzer)
Kelsie Eckert, Division 1, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (Photo courtesy of Theresa Bangle)
Addison Engelken, Division 1, Tesoro High School (Photo courtesy of Hailey Curtis)
Leilah Huttner, Division 1, Yorba Linda High School (Photo courtesy of Stacy Huttner)
ROW 3
Jia Igama, Division 1, John F. Kennedy High School (Photo courtesy of Jia Igama)
Isabella Kim, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Andy Chung)
Cosette McCulloch, Division 1, Yorba Linda High School (Photo courtesy of Matt Jong)
Cynthia Montiel-Cruz, Division 1, Fullerton Union High School (Photo courtesy of Joel Garcia)
ROW 4
Ashley Nava, Division 1, Fullerton Union High School (Photo courtesy of Arlene Nava)
Eden Joye Newcott, Division 1, Newport Harbor High School (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Boocks)
Oliver Tomczak, Division 2, Beckman High School (Photo courtesy of Oliver Tomczak)
Caitlyn Willoughby, Division 2, Tesoro High School (Photo courtesy of Caitlyn Willoughby)
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.
GO TO:
VOCAL MUSIC
ROW 1
Madison Becerra, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Serena Adam)
Lal Besir, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Aydin Tuna)
Jenna Currey, Division 1, Los Alamitos High School (Photo courtesy of John Currey)
Ava Gange-Brown, Division 1, Tesoro High School (Photo courtesy of Ava Gange-Brown)
ROW 2
Claire Harmsen, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Caydence Kuo)
Danica Joy Hemmens, Division 1, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (Photo courtesy of Theresa Bangle)
Nadia Jaramillo, Division 2, Santa Ana High School (Photo courtesy of Ceclilia De La Riva)
Zoe McLaughlin, Division 1, Fullerton Union High School (Photo courtesy of Kayla Monson)
ROW 3
Alicia Rose Montano, Division 1, Brea Olinda High School (Photo courtesy of Rocky Bomgarrs)
Nicolas Nguyen, Division 2, Garden Grove High School (Photo courtesy of Danny Nguyen)
Amiah Robinett, Division 1, Huntington Beach Academy for the Performing Arts (Photo courtesy of Brenda Gregory)
Joseph Santagata, Division 1, Los Alamitos High School (Photo courtesy of Hillary Santagata)
ROW 4
Chloe Schiffman, Division 1, University High School (Photo courtesy of Tina Aali)
Avalina Thomas, Division 1, El Dorado High School (Photo courtesy of Geneva Aguilera)
Lavinia Lotus Watkins, Division 1, Milena Kitic Vocal Studio (Photo courtesy of Kelsey Ulmer)
Jaden Yoo, Division 1, Orange County School of the Arts (Photo courtesy of Timothy Okajima)
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.
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