PAST JUDGES
ROUND 1: The nominees round, or Round 1, utilizes arts teachers and private instructors from Orange County high schools as the judges. Theater teachers evaluate theater nominees, visual arts teachers evaluate visual arts nominees, etc. Teachers do NOT evaluate their own students. In the adjudication forms we give them, they are required to skip any student for whom they have taught in the past.
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ROUND 2: The semifinalists round, or Round 2, we invite the artists to an in-person interview where they present their art form and have a conversation with arts professionals. The judges for Round 2 include department chairs and faculty from local prominent universities, professional artists, arts writers, and high school arts teachers.
The panelists below should give you an idea of the caliber of arts professionals who have evaluated our artists in the past.
THEATER
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Joe Alanes, director of education, Laguna Playhouse
John Benitz, chair, College of Performing Arts, Department of Theatre, Chapman University
Martin Benson, founder/director, South Coast Repertory
Susan Berkompas, department chair, professor of theater, Department of Theatre Arts, Vanguard University
Tom Bradac, professor, directing and acting Shakespeare, College of Performing Arts, Department of Theatre, Chapman University
Dennis Castellano, head of musical theater (retired), Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Department of Drama, UC Irvine
Kristin, Campbell, assistant professor, instructional faculty, College of Performing Arts, Department of Theatre, Chapman University
Joyce Cantrell, assistant professor, instructional faculty, College of Performing Arts, Department of Theatre, Chapman University
Amberly Chamberlain, associate professor of theater arts, Santa Ana College
TJ Dawson, executive producer and artistic director, 3D Theatricals
Zachary Dietz, assistant professor of teaching, musical theater, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Department of Drama, UC Irvine
David Emmes, founder/director, South Coast Repertory
Danielle Federico, producer, Film Independent Spirit Awards
Nick Gabriel, assistant professor, acting, College of Performing Arts, Department of Theatre, Chapman University
Emily Heebner, lecturer, acting, College of Performing Arts, Department of Theatre, Chapman University
Eve Himmelheber, associate professor, head of BFA program, College of the Arts, Department of Theater and Dance, CSU Fullerton
Paul Hodgins, founding arts and culture editor, Voice of OC
Darryl Hovis, co-education director, Chance Theater
David Ivers, artistic director, South Coast Repertory
Anna Jennings, artistic coordinator, South Coast Repertory
Daniel Keeling, assistant professor, musical theater, UC Irvine
Nina LeNoir, vice provost of undergraduate education, and professor, College of Performing Arts, Department of Theatre, Chapman University
Marc Lyncheski, director of marketing, Laguna College of Art and Design
Candice Martinez-Clasby, theater arts professor, Fullerton College
Oanh Nguyen, artistic director, Chance Theater
Andrew Palermo, assistant professor in musical theater, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Department of Drama, UC Irvine
Casey Reitz, president, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Nicholas Terry, associate professor, director of percussion studies, Chapman University
Steve Venz, coordinator for visual and performing arts, Orange County Department of Education
Tony Vezner, professor of theater, School of Arts and Sciences, Concordia University Irvine
John Walcutt, CEO/producing artistic director, Shakespeare Orange County
Tamiko Washington, associate professor, voice and movement, and interim chair, College of Performing Arts, Department of Theatre, Chapman University
DANCE
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Jenny Backhaus, artistic director, Backhausdance; assistant professor, Chapman University
Rachel Berman, dance department chair, Orange Coast College
Amanda Cobb, ballet teacher, ABT/Gillespie School
Nancy Dickson-Lewis, department chair, College of Performing Arts, Department of Dance, Chapman University
Jodie Gates, vice dean and director, Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, USC
Heather Gillette, professor of dance, department co-chair, Santa Ana College
Alicia Guy, professor, College of Performing Arts, Department of Dance, Chapman University
Chad Michael Hall, associate professor, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Department of Dance, UC Irvine
Alaine Haubert, director, ABT/Gillespie School
Michelle Hebert, dance instructor, College of the Arts, Department of Theater and Dance, CSU Fullerton
Paul Hodgins, arts writer-at-large, Orange County Register
Dianne Howe, former president, National Dance Association
Amelie Hunter, dance department co-chairwoman, Orange Coast College
Ariyan Johnson, assistant professor of dance, UC Irvine
Robin Kish, associate professor, College of Performing Arts, Department of Dance, Chapman University
Jennifer La Curan, full time faculty, Irvine Valley College
Kelly Leonardi, pre professional division faculty, ABT Gillespie
Lisa D. Long, faculty, College of the Arts, Department of Theater and Dance, CSU Fullerton
Cathy Lozano, director/choreography, Disney Entertainment Productions
Vitor Luiz, assistant professor of dance, ballet, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Department of Dance, UC Irvine
Molly Lynch, professor, and department chair of dance, ballet, repertory, arts management, UC Irvine
Wilson Mendieta, assistant professor, College of the Arts, Department of Theater and Dance, CSU Fullerton
Hillary McCarthy, adjunct faculty, Laguna College of Art and Design
Dale Merrill, dean, College of the Arts, CSU Fullerton
Boroka Nagy, artistic director, Re:borN Dance Interactive
Lisa Naugle, professor, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Department of Dance, UC Irvine
Julianne O'Brien, chair, College of Performing Arts, Department of Dance, Chapman University
Cyrian Reed, assistant professor of dance, jazz and hip hop, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Department of Dance, UC Irvine
Melanie Ríos Glaser, artistic director, The Wooden Floor
Melanie Kay Rosa, instructor, Fullerton College
Nicholas Terry, associate professor, director of percussion studies, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Kelly Uygan, faculty, ABT/Gillespie School
Steve Venz, coordinator for visual and performing arts, Orange County Department of Education
Corey Wright, lecturer, College of Performing Arts, Department of Dance, Chapman University
Kaitlin Wright, arts journalist and dance instructor, Momentum Dance
VISUAL ARTS
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Kelly Bishop, manager, family and public programs, Orange County Museum of Art
Kristin Campbell, assistant professor, instructional faculty, College of Performing Arts, Department of Theater, Chapman University
Tim Campbell, collections manager, Laguna Art Museum
Richard Chang, art critic, Orange County Register
Anne Compean, admissions counselor, Laguna College of Art and Design
Alyssa Cordova, curatorial associate, Orange County Museum of Art
Philip Dimitriadis, full time faculty, Fullerton College
Ziying Duan, assistant curator and curatorial administrator, Orange County Museum of Art
Dan Finley, executive director, Muzeo Museum and Cultural Center
James Galindo, faculty, Laguna College of Art and Design
Jon Ginnaty, lecturer, ceramics, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Department of Art, Chapman University
Gregg Hamby, art director, Wyland Worldwide
Will Hare, professional photographer
Rachel Hayes, department chair, associate professor of art, School of Arts and Sciences, Concordia University Irvine
Dana Herkelrath, associate professor of visual communication, assistant chair, Graphic Design and Digital Media, Laguna College of Art and Design
Elizabeth Holster, professor and program coordinator, teaching (art education)
Cody Jimenez, graduate mentor, , Laguna College of Art and Design
Amy Kells, admissions counselor, Laguna College of Art and Design
David Kiddie, assistant professor of art, ceramics and sculpture, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Department of Art, Chapman University
David Lee, art gallery curator, Coastline Community College
Eric Leffler, instructor, Coastline Community College
Marc Lychenski, director of marketing, Laguna College of Art and Design
Irin Mahaparn, asst. curator of education, Laguna Art Museum
Kelley Moglika, adjunct professor, Laguna College of Art and Design
Carolin Peters, faculty, Laguna College of Art and Design
Hope Railey, chairwoman of fine arts, Laguna College of Art and Design
Caitlin Reller, assistant curator of education, Laguna Art Museum
Ina Rosca, teaching artist, Laguna Art Museum
Kevin Scianni, arts instructor, Coastline and Orange Coast Colleges
Andrew Shalat, assistant professor, graphic design, Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Department of Art, Chapman University
Christina Smith, professor and program coordinator, crafts/jewelry/metalsmithing, Dept. of Visual Arts, Cal State Fullerton
Marinta Skupin, curator of education, Laguna Art Museum
Robert Stacy, adjunct faculty, Laguna College of Art and Design
Nicholas Terry, associate professor, director of percussion studies, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
David Trend, professor, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Department of Art, UC Irvine
Ray Vargas, admissions counselor, Laguna College of Art and Design
David Vargo, faculty, illustration, Laguna College of Art and Design
Steve Venz, coordinator for visual and performing arts, Orange County Department of Education
Tim Vitale, registrar, Laguna Art Museum
Chen Wang, professor, graphic and interactive design, College of the Arts, Department of Visual Arts, CSU Fullerton
FILM and TV
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Anne Beatts, lecturer, Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Chapman University
Barry Blaustein, associate professor (screenwriting), Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Chapman University
Jill Condon, assistant professor, artistic faculty, Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Chapman University
Logan Crow, executive director, The Frida
Danielle Federico, producer, Film Independent Spirit Awards
Michael Hewitt, TV critic, Orange County Register
Tasha Hunter, lecturer, Cal State Long Beach
Morgane Keesling, gaming and animation, Disney
Andy Lane, associate film professor, storytelling, Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Chapman University
Everett Lewis, associate film professor, USC
Eric Nong, artistic director, Viet Film Fest
Christopher Pavlick, Emmy-winning producer, "Inheritance"
Victor Payan, director, OC Film Fiesta/MASA Media
Bojana Sandic, director of short film programming, Newport Beach Film Festival
Gregg Schwenk, executive director, Newport Beach Film Festival
Keith Sharon, screenwriter ("Showtime" and "Finding Steve McQueen") and staff writer, Orange County Register
Ricardo Silva, lecturer (media studies), Cal State Long Beach
Travis Sims, education and technical trainer, RED Camera
Torrey Tayenaka, CEO/co-founder, Sparkhouse
Nicholas Terry, associate professor, director of percussion studies, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
David Waldman, film and electronic arts faculty (cinematography), Cal State Long Beach
Eric Walls, associate professor (animation), Laguna College of Art and Design
Eric Young, deputy chair, assistant professor (producing),Lawrence and Kristina Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Chapman University
VOCAL MUSIC
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Peter Atherton, professor, director of operatic studies, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Robert Barefield, lecturer, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Aram Barsamian, music professor, Fullerton College
Robin Buck, professor, vocal music, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Department of Music, UC Irvine
Steven Coker, director, choral activities, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Paul Floyd, lecturer, collaborative arts, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Kimo Furumoto, associate professor, CSU Fullerton
Patrick Goeser, lecturer (voice), College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Mark Goodrich, associate professor, College of the Arts, School of Music, CSU Fullerton
Scott Hedgecok, retired high school music teacher
Paul Hodgins, founding arts and culture editor, Voice of OC
Marin Jacobson, music department chair, Concordia University Irvine
Daniel Keeling, assistant professor of teaching, Musical Theater, UC Irvine
Talena Mara, vice president of education and community, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Kyla McCarrel, conductor, women's choir, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Laszlo Mezo, lecturer, cello, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Mark Peng, lecturer, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Molly Pontin, director of education and community programs, Pacific Chorale
Joni Prado, associate professor of music, Vanguard University of Southern California
Susanne Reid, department chair and professor of music, Vanguard University
Rebecca Sherburn, associate professor, director of vocal studies, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Dennis Siebenaler, associate professor of music, College of the Arts, School of Music, CSU Fullerton
Darryl Taylor, vocal arts area head, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Department of Music, UC Irvine
Nicholas Terry, associate professor, director of percussion studies, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Louise Thomas, professor, associate dean, academic affairs, and director of keyboard collaborative arts, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Angel M. Vazquez-Ramos, director of music education, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Steve Venz, coordinator for visual and performing arts, Orange County Department of Education
Tammy Yi, assistant professor, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Steve Young, assistant professor of dance, director of Worship Arts Leadership Institute, Concordia University Irvine
Dubravka Zubovic, founder/artistic director, OC Ars Vocalis Academy
INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC
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Ron Anderson, lecturer, piano, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Robert Becker, associate professor, viola, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Haroutune Bedelian, professor, violin, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Department of Music, UC Irvine
Alison Bjorkedal, lecturer, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Siri Bloom, artistic operations coordinator, Philharmonic Society
Renee Bodie, general manager, Soka Performing Arts Center
Connor Bogengrief, CoPA career advisor, Chapman University
Taryn Carter, lecturer, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Daniel De Arakal, assistant professor, instructional faculty, and director of guitar studies, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Marc Dickey, professor of music, conducting, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
William Fitzpatrick, director of string studies and professor of music, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Grace Fong, professor, and director, keyboard studies, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Robert Frelly, professor, and director of music education, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Kimo Furumoto, associate professor, College of the Arts, School of Music, CSU Fullerton
Mark Goodrich, associate professor, College of the Arts, School of Music, CSU Fullerton
Gary Gopar, department chair of music, Cypress College
Alejandro Gutiérrez, music director, Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, and associate conductor, Pacific Symphony
Jeff Held, assistant dean, College of Arts & Sciences, and professor, director of arts activities, director of instrumental activities, School of Arts and Sciences, Concordia University Irvine
Vera Ivanova, associate producer, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Roger Kalia, associate conductor, Pacific Symphony, and music director, Symphony New Hampshire
Jenny Kim, lecturer, horn, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Bongshin Ko, professor of cello, CSU Fullerton, and principal cello, The New York Soloists
Sarah Koo, lecturer, cello and chamber music, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Department of Music, UC Irvine
John Koshak, professor emeritus, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
John Magnum, president and artistic director, Philharmonic Society of Orange County
Timothy Mangan, music critic, Orange County Register
Gary Matsuura, lecturer, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Laszlo Mezo, lecturer, cello, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Tom Mueller, director of keyboard activities, School of Arts and Sciences, Concordia University Irvine
Mary Palchak, lecturer, flute, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Molly Pontin, director of education and community programs, Pacific Chorale
Susanne Reid, department chair and professor of music, Vanguard University
Rebecca Rivera, lecturer, bassoon, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
David Scott, assistant conductor, Orange County Youth Symphony
Ted Sugata, lecturer, oboe, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Nicholas Terry, associate professor, director of percussion studies, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Louise Thomas, professor, associate dean, academic affairs, and director of keyboard collaborative arts, Chapman University
Stephen Tucker, associate professor, and director of UCI symphony orchestra, Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Department of Music, UC Irvine
Steve Venz, coordinator for visual and performing arts, Orange County Department of Education
David Alfred Wachs, director of orchestra activities, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Chih-Chen Wei, lecturer, theory, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Tammy Yi, assistant professor, College of Performing Arts, Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music, Chapman University
Steve Young, assistant professor of dance, director of Worship Arts Leadership Institute, Concordia University Irvine
Shawne Zarubica, director of youth ensembles, Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra
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