State of the Art

Robert Jones (CW, ‘23), under the name Rte Jones, wrote and directed the short film “Forgetting Nobody.” The film was honored with a September 2022 Platinum Award from The Independent Shorts Awards for Best Student Short and was Runner-up for Best Film of the Month. Sam Morelos (ACT, ‘23) also starred in the lead role and received the Platinum Award for Best Child/Young Actress for her performance. Please visit https://bit.ly/3uy7hfd

Popular Music Coordinator Kirk Averitt sang on the album From Wilderness, which was considered for a Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance.

"The following students were invited to share their work from the Visual Arts Conservatory’s BallPoint Challenge in the lobby of a new apartment building, Esperanza.
Angela Armaz (VA, ‘24)
Joann Cruz (VA, ‘24)
Kiara Gero (VA, ‘24)
Ryan Hori (VA, ‘24)
Addison Lombardi (VA, ‘24)
Gabriel Madrid (VA, ‘23)
Cassandra Wheeler (IA, ‘24)
Josephine Yeh (VA, ‘23)"

Alvin Wang (VA, ‘24) was selected as a finalist for the From the Top competition for violin.

"The following students performed in “Godspell” at Broadway Experience in Upland.
Lyna Chataignoux (MT, ‘28)
Grace Dominguez (MT, ‘25)
Ava Leones (MT, ‘25)
Evie Linchangco (MT, ‘28)
Camille Macias (IA, ‘25)
Trace Macias (MT, ‘24)
Ella Youngstrom (MT, ‘24)
Violet Zuker-Brunzell (MT, ‘28)"

Samantha Rily (IA, ‘24) attended the Open Jar Institute's Broadway Summer Intensive, a week-long program in New York City, comprised of high-intensity workshops in acting, singing, dance, and audition techniques, all taught by Broadway professionals.

Alyssa Lopez (CW, ‘23) was accepted into the Ghetto Film School Fellows Program, which is a 30-month intensive course that allows students to learn the art of filmmaking in terms of both storytelling and production. The program gives students opportunities to meet with leading industry professionals, visit active sets, as well as gain experience working on their own films. Students even have the chance to work internationally at one point during the program.

Joey Ancona, Director of the Integrated Arts Conservatory, was recently a contestant on the Fox game show “Don’t Forget the Lyrics!” To see his full feature on the show, please visit: https://bit.ly/3BkxQbE

Ella Youngstrom (MT, ‘24) performed in the lead role of Katherine Plumber in “Newsies” at Broadway Experience.

Keilani Bolhuis (IM, ‘24) received a Merit Award in jazz instrumental from The Music Center’s Spotlight competition. Additionally, she was accepted to both the Pasadena Conservatory of Music’s Summer Chamber Intensive for violin and the Monterey Jazz Festival Summer Jazz Camp for piano and violin.

Alvin Wang (VA, ‘24) won first place at the Callie McGrath Solo Piano Competition. He also received the Talent Award for the category for ages 15-19 from the iMatter Mental Health Art Competition.

Una Panić (IA, ‘23) started Panic Thrift, her own retail business, where she reworks and sells gently used clothes. She donates a portion of her earnings from the business to charities such as Save the Children and The Malala Fund.

Vocal Conservatory Instructor Eleen Hsu-Wentlandt received a Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance for a live concert recording with Los Angeles Master Chorale of “Symphony No. 8” by Gustav Mahler, performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.

Samantha Chiang (IM, ‘25) received an award from the Los Angeles Branch of Music Teachers Association of California's (MTAC) Southern California Junior Bach Festival and has advanced to the regional competition. Keilani Bolhuis (IM, ‘24) also competed and received regional honors.

Sarah Alfino (BCD, ‘23) was offered and accepted a trainee position with the Los Angeles Ballet.

Ananda Moses (IA, ‘22) was awarded a full scholarship to study at Lorenzo de’ Medici Florence – The Italian International Institute for the summer.

Rinn Maldonado (MT, ‘19) was featured in an article from Northwestern University’s “Evanston Table,” for her performance in the role of Cassie in the 91st Annual Waa-Mu Show, “A Peculiar Inheritance.” To read the full article, please visit: https://bit.ly/3xOkjI5

Sadie Aperlo (VA, ‘23) was accepted to the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA). In addition, she was selected for a month-long Summer Art Residency for digital media on the CalArts campus in Valencia, CA.

The following students participated in the California State Thespian Festival and received high-scoring Thespy Superior awards:

Solo Musical:
Madeline Kimmel (MT, ‘22)

Duet Acting:
Emily Lee (MT, ‘22)
Sam Morelos (MT, ‘23)

CJ Safford (CMD, ‘22) and her eight-hand ceili team competed against teams from all over the world in the World Championships of Irish Dance in Belfast and received third place.

Ashley Gallo (MT, ‘23) was cast in the role of Louisa von Trapp in the McCoy Rigby Entertainment production of “The Sound of Music” at the La Mirada Theatre of Performing Arts.

The School of Theatre’s production of “Gavroche” was featured in an article on Broadway World. To read the full article, please visit: https://bit.ly/3vH72zU

Gillian Chamberlin (CW, ‘22) was featured in a Pasadena Weekly article highlighting her recent honorable mention recognition from the YoungArts Foundation. Gillian was also featured in a KCRW article for being a part of KCRW’s Young Creators Project. For the full article, please visit: https://kcrw.co/39EsjBJ

Alvin Wang (VA, ‘24) received the gold medal for the Young Maestro International Piano Competition. Alvin also was accepted for the Piano Panel Honors and Violin Panel Masterclass from the Music Teachers' Association of California.

Gibson Alfieri (BCD, ‘25) was offered a full scholarship to attend the Idyllwild School of the Arts Summer Ballet Intensive. Gibson was also accepted to the virtual summer intensive with American Ballet Theatre (ABT).

Tex Hammond (VA, ‘24) has been invited to present his work at a four-day exhibition in September at The Louvre in Paris, France. He was also featured in a Spectrum News 1 interview. To view the full interview, please visit: https://bit.ly/3kHcoos

Toni Gastelum (CMD, ‘24) and Olivia Lampel (CMD, ‘24) placed third at the World of Dance Orange County competition with their hip-hop team, Zero Below, in the junior division.

Alex Ok (CW, ‘24) contributed an art piece to the 2021 Crops of Love Ninth Exhibition at the Brea Museum & Historical Society, where the money raised will be donated toward supplying food to hungry children in Malawi, Africa. Alex received a certificate of recognition from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for her participation in this exhibition.

Minji Cho (IA, ‘24) received first place in the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) qualifiers in the Humorous Interpretation category. Minji was also invited to attend the 2022 Speech and Debate National Tournament in Kentucky.

Sawyer Valin (MT, ‘23) was cast in multiple voice acting roles on foreign shows that have been dubbed into English and currently appear on both Netflix and HBO Max.

Alvin Wang (VA, ‘24) received State Honor for the Music Teachers' Association of California (MTAC) panel exam for both piano and violin. Alvin was also chosen as a Panel Finalist and was invited to perform at the annual convention.

Grace Dominguez (MT, ‘25) attended and competed at the Musical Theatre Competitions of America (MTCA) Festival and won third place overall for both her vocal solo and vocal duet.

Alyssa Ho (CW, ‘22) was named a 2022 Coca-Cola Scholar in recognition of her superior leadership, service, and academics, as well as her efforts to positively affect others in her community. Out of the 251 regional finalists across the country, she was one of 150 selected to receive a $20,000 college scholarship and join a network of more than 6,600 Coca-Cola Scholar alumni that encourage, challenge, and support each other in their common goal of making the world a better place.

Brennan Chang Ho (CW, ‘25) and Alyssa Ho (CW, ‘22) were selected as 2022 Dragon Kim Fellows and earned a $5,000 community service grant for their project “Dental Explorers” from the Dragon Kim Foundation. They were chosen from over 300 applicants across California and Nevada and went through a rigorous interview process to earn the fellowships. Along with the project funding, these students will receive three weekends of leadership training and hands-on mentorship from local business professionals.

Sam Morelos (ACT, ‘23) was recently cast in the upcoming "That '90s Show," a spin off of the popular "That '70s Show," to be released on Netflix.

Cadija DePaepe (BCD, ‘27) competed in her first Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) regional competition in Irvine and placed third in one of her group dances in the Senior Contemporary category.

Sam Morelos (ACT, ‘23) was offered to understudy lead actor Jordan Hull and perform as Clare in The Echo Theater Company’s world premiere of "Poor Clare" by Chiara Atik, directed by Alana Dietze.

Yuwei (Betty) Pan (BCD, ‘26) received second place in the Junior Classical category at the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) regional competition in Huntington Beach. YAGP is the world's largest and most prestigious dance competition and offers scholarships to dancers ages 9-19.

Tex Hammond (VA, ‘24) was featured in a "Los Angeles Times" article about being the youngest artist ever to exhibit at the L.A. Art Show. For the full article, please visit https://yhoo.it/3hKoaNg

Alvin Wang (VA, ‘24) won first place for the Music Teachers' Association of California (MTAC) VOCE Strings Competition in the San Diego Region. Additionally, Alvin received an honorable mention award at the NOMEA International Competitions in the Junior D category.

Congratulations to the following students for their success in the annual Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. These students received Regional-at-Large awards. Gold Key recipients will now be judged at the national level.

Gold Key Award:
Anika Park (PD, ‘23): Digital Art, “A Messy Portrait”, “Escape from Reality”

Silver Key Award:
Kay Flores (VA, ‘23): Design, “Character Design for Instrumental”
Maisie Higgins (CW, ‘22): Science Fiction & Fantasy, “Steven and Eggsby”
Claire Knobler-Mann (CW, ‘25): Poetry, “Cinephile Perfection”
Olivia Madruga (IA, ‘22): Drawing & Illustration, “Solum”

Honorable Mention Award:
Satchel Fisher (CW, ‘23): Poetry, “Elegiac”, “Ghost Sonnet”, “Cast Iron Skillet”
Claire Knobler-Mann (CW, ‘25): Poetry, “A Pantoum for Punks”
Rohit Lakshman (CW, ‘23): Critical Essay, “Dennis Prager: A personal horror story”
Alvin Wang (VA, ‘24): Drawing & Illustration, “Faceless Future”

Minji Cho (IA, ‘24) received first place in the Open Humorous Interpretation category at the California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) Invitational and second place in the Humorous Interpretation category at the Stephen Stewart Invitational 2021 Speech Tournament.

California School of the Arts – San Gabriel Valley has earned the College Board's AP® Computer Science Female Diversity Award for expanding young women's access to AP Computer Science Principles (CSP). CSArts-SGV was one of only 760 schools to be recognized for their work toward equal gender representation in computer science principles during the 2020-2021 school year. To read more about this award, please visit: https://bit.ly/3fZzsfE

Jeanie Lai (BCD, ‘22), president of World Relief Chamber Music, held a fundraising concert that helped raise more than $13,000 for children affected by the 2021 Haiti earthquake. She also performed and brought holiday spirit to local senior centers.

Alvin Wang (VA, ‘24) received first place for the Pasadena Music Teachers’ Association of California (MTAC) Keyboard Theme Festival. Alvin was also accepted by Ryman Arts for the spring 2022 term.

Lauren Kong (IA, ‘24) was selected to attend the Hugh O'Brian Youth (HOBY) Leadership Foundation California-Los Angeles Leadership Seminar.

Zoe Batrez (MT, ‘25) and Elise Dunn (BCD, ‘24) founded the first high school chapter of the greater uneARTh organization. uneARTh is a multimedia organization that utilizes the artists’ platform as a vehicle to amplify earth-centered artistic practices, and actively take steps that address issues related to the climate crisis. The club's original film was featured in uneARTh's second annual multimedia art festival, which was streamed around the world.

Ella Youngstrom (MT, ‘24) was cast in and performed the role of Miss Adelaide in "Guys and Dolls" at Broadway Experience in Upland.

Ali Bendaoud (VA, ‘22) participated in his first off-campus art show competition and won second and third place. He also sold two prints of his second place digital piece, titled "Skull Time."

The following students were recognized as 2022 YoungArts Winners by the National YoungArts Foundation for their artistic achievements. YoungArts award winners at all levels receive cash prizes between $100 and $10,000.

Honorable Mention:
Gillian Chamberlin (CW, ‘22) – Film

Merit:
Cielo Valenzuela-Lara (IA, ‘22) – Theater and Poetry
Sophia Center (ACT, ‘22) – Voice (Singer-Songwriter)
Aidan Luke (VOC, ‘23) – Voice (Singer-Songwriter)

Phoebe Mak (IM, ‘24) was admitted into the Colburn Chamber Orchestra, where she will have the opportunity to take part in performances throughout the year, including live broadcasts on KUSC.

The following students were cast in Theatre 360’s upcoming production of "13: The Musical."

Karina Alvarez (MT, ‘25)
Ryan Backstrom (MT, ‘26)
Annika Blaiklock (MT, ‘26)
Ev Cullen (MT, ‘25)
Lauren Sales (MT, ‘22)
Holden Saling (MT, ‘26)
Kathryn Sears (MT, ‘25)

Alexandra Bielanski (ACT, ‘23) has been chosen to represent the town of Sierra Madre as part of their 2022 Royal Court for the upcoming New Year's Rose Parade.

Alyssa S. Ho (CW, ‘22) and Mia Matsumune’s (CW, ‘22) mini musical, "Makeup with Mallory: Special 29th Birthday Babe Edition!!," was selected to be produced at The Blank Theatre in Hollywood as a part of the 29th Annual Young Playwrights Festival.

Alvin Wang (VA, ‘24) received the Gold Award for the Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue category in the Southern California Junior Bach Festival 2021 Complete Works Audition. Alvin also received an Honorable Mention at the Mount Saint Mary’s University (MSMU) High School Music Competition.

Cassandra Tittle (ACT, ‘24) was cast in season two of "Diary of a Future President," available on Disney+.

Finley Jones (IM, ‘22) worked as a clarinetist on the score for the documentary "Waterman." The film was selected to open at the Hawaii International Film Festival and was also chosen to play at the Maui Film Festival.

CSArts-SGV’s School of Dance was approved to sponsor a Secondary Program (grades 9-12) in the National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA), a program of the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO). The CSArts-SGV School of Dance has established an NHSDA chapter to recognize the outstanding artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievement of the exceptional dance students.

California School of the Arts – San Gabriel Valley has been ranked by Niche as the #4 Best High School for the Arts in California and the #10 Best High School for the Arts in America for 2022! Go to https://bit.ly/3FkPn3x to view all rankings for CSArts-SGV. We would like to express our gratitude to all the students, teachers, and staff who continue to make CSArts-SGV an exceptional institution.

Tex Hammond (VA, ‘24) was the youngest person in history to show his work at The LA Art Show and was selected by Mayor Eric Garcetti as one of the top 10 artists to watch. He was also a featured artist in Sunset Magazine.