2011 Competitors and Results

2010 Winners

For Musical Theatre

 

FIRST PLACE: Hannah Schwartz

 

Hannah is a senior at the Orange County High School of the Arts. Her favorite roles to date include Sheila in A Chorus Line, Nancy in Oliver!, and Babe Williams in The Pajama Game. She has been in numerous other productions such as Chess (Naomi), Forbidden Broadway (Bebe Neuwirth), The Music Man (Alma Hix), High School Musical (Taylor McKessie and Gabriella Montez), Nunsense (Sister Robert Anne), Godspell (Joanne), Little Women and Grease. She was a semi-finalist and awarded 3rd place in the 2009 and 2010 LA Music Center’s Spotlight Awards Competition. She won Young Singer of the Year for Female Musical Theater Voice 2009. She also received Honorable Mention for the NFAA Young Arts Theater Non-Spoken Division. She has performed in shows with Danny Gurwin, Cathy Rigby, David Burnham, Terri Bibb, and Karen Culliver. Hannah has sung the National Anthem multiple times for the OC Gladiators and the American Cancer Society. She was a member of OCHSA’s a’capella group, Unplugged, and is currently a member of both OCHSA’s Montage and MTU’s Kids Next Door. Hannah has performed for or with Broadway’s Scott Alan, Jason Robert Brown, Matthew Morrison, Susan Egan and Lindsay Mendez.
 

 

 

RUNNER UP: Samantha Grossman

 

Samantha is a junior attending the Orange County High School of the Arts. She has been singing and dancing since nine when she started her career on a professional stage at the American Girl Theatre in New York. Over the years on both coasts, Samantha has had the privilege of working and training with some of the most talented individuals including, but not limited to, Kelli O’Hara, David Burnham, Danny Gurwin, Susan Egan, Steven Lutvak, Anne Runolfsson, Skylar Astin, Kate Guyton and Judy Kuhn. This past summer she was accepted and attended the prestigious NYU/CAP 21 program. Samantha has performed at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in OCHSA’s Season Finale for the past two years as the only freshman chosen to perform in the Musical Theatre Montage, directed by Susan Egan. Most recently, Samantha performed at The Laguna Playhouse in Stuart Little. Other show credits include: Babes in Arms (Susie-MACY Outstanding Performance in a Lead Role Award recipient), Cinderella (MACY Award), The King and I, Fable Factory (Mary Ann), The Happy Prince and Under the Bridge. She feels honored to be among the finalists of the Stars of Tomorrow competition and thanks her family for their undying support.

 

For Classical

 

FIRST PLACE: Trisha Mitra

 

Trisha Mitra is 17 years old and music has been her constant companion from as far back as she can remember. She is considered a musician’s musician due to her extensive training, both vocal and instrumental, and by virtue of her expertise in music theory and sight reading.

Trisha is an accomplished pianist and last year she obtained the MTAC Level 10 Certificate of Merit. She participates in several piano competitions sponsored by the Irvine Chapter of the MTAC and the Orchepia School of Music, and has placed in the top three spots several times.

Trisha as a vocalist spans several genres such as Classical, Opera, Jazz, Choral, Musical Theater, contemporary, and Indian Classical music. At age 9 she was the youngest inductee into Pacific Chorale Children’s Chorus. Later she was also a member of the Southern California Children’s Chorus. As a senior at Irvine High School, Trisha is a member of The IHS Chorale, and the Irvine Singers. She was also a member of the IHS Jazz Choir. She has rendered several solo performances in High School. As college bound senior, Trisha is keen on pursuing a course of study that includes vocal performance and music industry specifics. She has auditioned for undergraduate admission at several universities. Trisha is taught vocal technique by her teacher Jessica Caravella.

Trisha would like to thank her friends and family for being extremely supportive. She would also especially like to thank her voice teacher, Jessica Caravella for all her hard work and encouragement.

 

 

 

RUNNER UP: Holly Starr

 

Holly Starr, 17, is a senior at Mission Viejo High School. She has studied voice with Joan Simonek for the past six years. She placed in the Southern California Rotary Club Young Singer of the Year and in the Temecula Valley Classical Vocal Competitions. Holly is a semi-finalist in the 2010 Music Center Spotlight Awards. This summer, Holly will participate in the Tuscia Opera Festival in Italy under the direction of Claudio Ferri where she will perform in the opera “Suor Angerlica”. She will continue her undergraduate studies in vocal performance and plans to pursue a career in opera. Holly is thrilled to participate in the “Stars of Tomorrow” and would like to thank her family and friends for their love and support.

 

2009 Winners

FIRST PLACE: Matthew Lulofs

Tenor, Matthew Lulofs, is a junior attending the opera conservatory at the Orange County High School of the Arts. He studies voice privately with Alvin Brightbill and piano with Katie Franklin. In the past, he appeared in Opera Pacific’s production of Carmen as a dancer and he has sung principal roles at their camp for the operas: The Emperor's New Clothes, Christopher Columbus, The Star Child, and The Tinker of Tivoli. Matthew has performed in OCHSA’s season finale as Prunier in La Rondine with soprano Robin Follman at OCPAC, as well as Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi, and other recitals and opera scenes throughout the conservatory. His accolades also include many academic and athletic awards, a 4.20 GPA and he is active in service to the various communities of Orange County. He placed first in the Laila S. Conlin Vocal Competition (2007), won the Rotary Singer of the Year Competition (2008), Tomorrow’s Stars at the Center (2008), was an L.A. Music Center Spotlight Awards semi-finalist (2008, 2009), and a South Coast Symphony finalist (2008). Furthermore, he has received two directors awards while in the Pacific Chorale Boys Chorus and the Middle School Opera Conservatory at OCHSA.
View Matthew's performance on YouTube.

SECOND PLACE: Hannah Schwartz

Hannah Schwartz is 17 and a junior at the Orange County High School of the Arts. She was recently seen in The Pajama Game as Babe Williams. She has been in numerous other productions such as The Music Man (Alma Hix), High School Musical (Taylor McKessie), Nunsense (Sister Robert Anne), Godspell (Joanne), Little Women, Grease and Once on This Island. She was a semi-finalist in the 2009 LA Music Center’s Spotlight Awards Competition. She’s performed in shows with Danny Gurwin, Cathy Rigby, David Burnham, Terri Bibb, and Karen Culliver. She was Gabriella Montez in the production of High School Musical at the Embassy Suites in LA for the Sara Lee Corporation. She has sung the National Anthem multiple times for the OC Gladiators and the American Cancer Society. She was also a member of OCHSA’s acapella group, Unplugged.
View Hannah's performance on YouTube.

THIRD PLACE: Rachel Rothman

Rachel Rothman is ecstatic and humbled to be participating in the Stars of Tomorrow competition for the third year in a row. Rachel is a senior at Dana Hills High School and has been a member of SOCSA (South Orange County School of the Arts) throughout the past four years, majoring in voice. Rachel has not only been in the main stage musicals in the Porthole Theatre, but she has also made appearances in many other shows, including various performances with different genres of music. Although Rachel always thought of musical theatre as her passion, she has recently become interested in the study and performance of classical voice/ opera. Rachel would in no way be where she is today without the help and love of her family, close friends, teachers, and mentors from synagogue. A huge thanks goes out to her parents and brother, as well as her closest friends whether they’re near or far apart!
View Rachel's performance on YouTube.

2008 – Erika Peterson
Erika is ecstatic to be a participant in the 2008 Stars of Tomorrow competition. She is a junior at Dana Hills High School and is involved in choir, dance, and drama. She loves to perform, and hopes to pursue it as a career in the future. Erika thanks her Mom, Dad, Hunter, and Hilary for being the best family ever!

2007 – Michael Casabianca
Michael, who won Stars of Tomorrow as a senior at Tesoro High School, was a 2006 semi-finalist in the L.A. Music Center Spotlight Awards, received the 2006 MACY trophy for Highest Achievement, and CAPPIE nominations as Best Featured Actor in a Musical 2006 and Best Male Vocalist 2005. He was also a 2006 semi-finalist in Tomorrow’s Stars at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

2006 & 2005 – John Myers
John Matthew Myers, tenor, is equally comfortable with the classical and contemporary operatic repertoire as well as the genre of musical theatre. John has received such acclaim for his "outstanding vocal performances...with apparent sensitivity" by the Orange County Register and others. Currently he is studying at the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Maitland Peters. John has worked in numerous musicals, opera, concerts, demos/workshops of new works, and film. Recently he was seen in the workshop/reading of the new musical, Belles of the Mill, and can also be seen in the upcoming films, Hey Diddle Diddle and True Story. He also appeared in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of War and Peace, under the direction of Irkin Gabitov and the baton of Valery Gergiev, and at Carnegie Hall singing Mozart’s Coronation Mass. At the Manhattan School of Music, he has been seen in Dido and Aeneas as the cover of the Sailor and ensemble as well as the role of Sam Kaplan in the Manhattan School of Music Outreach Opera’s production of Kurt Weill’s Street Scene. He has premiered new compositions as a featured performer in the Manhattan School of Music’s Composer Concert, and most recently "Love Sonnets" by Fernando Arroyo García-Lascurain. John has won numerous vocal competitions including the Rotary International Young Singer of the Year Award in California, the Orange County Performing Arts Center’s Tomorrow’s Stars at the Center, South Coast Singers’ Stars of Tomorrow, Semi-finalist in the Los Angeles Music Center’s Spotlight Awards in both Classical and Non-Classical Voice, South Coast Symphony’s Young Stars of the Future, and Opera Pacific’s Laila Conclin Vocal Competition.