This year, several nominees have been selected from our school to participate in the annual OC Artist of the Year competition: a prestigious awards program that recognizes the most talented students across seven different artistic disciplines around Orange County.
As of March, 888 nominees from 88 different local high schools have been announced; semifinalists for interview are not published until April 19, and winners are selected and celebrated on May 13 at the Segerstrom Center of the Arts.
In order to participate, students must first be nominated by an educator who writes a statement for them. At Aliso, this includes all the teachers in the visual and performing arts programs.
Five nominees come from Aliso who are all part of the theater program: Gabriella Tamraz (12), Neka Jazaeri (12), Keilani Meyer (12), Claire Fincher (12) and Gia D’Amelio (12) as his nominees.
Mr. Golden, the theater director, expressed that these incredible students have been chosen for all the time, work and creativity they put into theater. All of them are involved in both onstage and backstage work, especially Tamraz and Jazaeri, who perform but also work as directors in certain productions.
Ms. Hartman, the visual arts teacher, and Mr. Chen, the instrumental director, are relatively new to their positions and haven’t gotten enough time to fully evaluate their students’ journey or progress to speak on their behalf. However, they have expressed their desire to recognize students in the future.
Ms. Hartman says, “It’s not that every kid that goes through the process is going to be selected as the top runner, but I want it to be worth students’ while, so it’s my duty to be able to properly advise students well, and for that I need to know my students a little better.”
Other teachers simply did not wish to participate this year.
Following their nominations, students have the choice to submit an application that generally includes a personal statement essay and a portfolio of images, written pieces, videos, voice recordings, etc.
Mr. Golden highlighted that individuals who show expertise in several areas will especially pique the interest of judges, and he encourages his nominees to include a diverse portfolio.
He said, “Submit as much as you can because if you are just a light designer, and that’s all you are, you may be a very impressive light designer, but if you’re put next to someone who is also a set designer and is also a stage manager and that is also a costume designer, that is showing more of a breath of interest and ability in the art, and that’s impressive.”
Aliso students have won before, and the most recent winner was Selma Elbalalesy in the 2023 competition. She was a senior in the theater company who was a singer, dancer, musician, sound designer and actress who won out of more than 700 other participants. After high school, she attended USC to continue her creative endeavors.
Based on how far participants make it through the selection process, they can earn a greater prize. Although there is prize money and a trophy, the most valuable prize for the finalist is recognition and publicity that the artist earns. It serves as an impressive achievement that is announced through a feature on the OC Register, and the artist gets to showcase their work at the award ceremony as well.
